Another World and Perhaps Love to Believe In
by shadowed one
Summary: After putting a stop to the Fall, Mitsuru Kirijo and her other friends try to continue to live a life without the dark hour. Despite being given another chance at life, the heiress of the Kirijo group feels that something is amiss. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own any of the Persona 3 characters. I do own the fictional character called Skye Sagara and any other original characters that will appear in this story. A word of warning to the readers, this story involves a lesbian relationship. Still not sure if this will be Mitsuru x Yukari or Mitsuru x OC.**

* * *

_Chapter 1: Beyond Borders_

It has been seven months since humanity's rescue from the fall. Everyone has forgotten about that event all except for eight individuals. On the day of the senior class' graduation, roughly a month after the fall, the former S.E.E.S. members regained their memories and rushed to reunite themselves with their dear friend. Alas, they were too late, arriving only to see the young man slumbering in a seemingly eternal coma. Minato Arisato had given his soul and life as an ultimate sacrifice to save humanity from its demise. Despite this cruel reality, the S.E.E.S. members moved on and continued to search for that answer to the question of life that Minato has already found. They continue to live a life without the existence of the dark hour.

* * *

Mitsuru Kirijo was tired. It's been two months since she moved out of the S.E.E.S. dormitory and into her own apartment strategically located near her chosen university. As expected from the former student council president, valedictorian and heiress of the Kirijo group, Mitsuru had easily passed and gotten into the top university in the city. She was adjusting well enough in her new environment but she could not help but feel homesick. Akihiko was studying in another university that was on the other side of the city. He had gotten a scholarship and was part of the university's boxing team. Yukari, Junpei and Fuuka were all seniors and classmates. They were all part of the student council and ironically, Junpei was head of the disciplinary committee. From what Mitsuru heard in her last conversation with Yukari, Junpei was actually doing a great job. Ken on the other hand was being his usual self with the exception that he joined the kendo team, explaining that it's the closest thing he could do to remember Minato. Aigis and Koromaru still live in the S.E.E.S. dormitory. Aigis decided to stop going to school to care for the comatose Minato. She claims that she isn't at all lonely because Yukari and the others frequently visit her. She only stated that Mitsuru and Akihiko should try to visit more often even if the two of them are now currently living in the extremities of the city.

The auburn-haired college student let out a long sigh as she stared out of the classroom window. She wouldn't have been in that university if not for Minato. He had made her realize that it was her sole responsibility to how she should live her life. She defied the Kirijo group's wishes for her to immediately marry and take over leadership. Even until now, the group continues to dissuade her from her chosen path.

The bell started to chime, signaling the end of her last class for the day. Mitsuru gathered all her belongings and headed out of the room while politely returning the smiles of her fellow students and a few professors. She wanted to go home quickly and rest. She had a feeling that she was going to get sick. The young woman hastily stuffed her books into her locker and grabbed her helmet. As she approached her Ducati motorcycle, she could not help but feel nostalgic. It was a distinct memory after all when she promised Minato that she would teach him how to ride a motorcycle. Mitsuru shook her head ruefully and put on her helmet. She had once thought that she was in love with Minato but after a few months of contemplating her relationship with him, she realized that they were more like the closest of friends. At first it seemed like it was her who suffered the most when Minato succumbed into a coma, but as time passed she had learned to move on. Yukari was the most emotional of the four 

women who held the blue-haired man dearly in their hearts. During the first three months, all the young archer could do was sulk and regret what had happened. After all, she had become closest to their comatose friend in the short year they were all together. Mitsuru on the other hand mostly had a professional relationship with the younger man that was until they started to date late in the year. She grew embarrassed as she recalled the time she had invited him to her lavishly furnished room. They had spent the night together, but they did nothing to lose their innocence. The former Gekkoukan student council president let out a sigh and mounted her bike.

"Mitsuru-san!" A girl's voice yelled several feet away.

Mitsuru put down the bike stand and turned to find out who was calling her name. "Nakajima-san," she greeted, pushing up her visor to regard the young woman who was in the same European History class as she was. "Catch your breath before you speak," she told her classmate. "I'm not in a hurry to leave anyway."

The girl halted a few feet away from the biker and took in a couple of deep breaths. "Mitsuru-san," she began. "You were already gone when our European History professor came back in and announced that he was going to take a leave of absence for this semester. He said that he's dropping all our homework, papers and projects since he's leaving."

"Nakajima-san, you could have just sent me a text message instead of chasing after me and tiring yourself out," Mitsuru pointed out. Everyone including Mitsuru herself knew that this particular girl idolized Mitsuru the most compared to other students who had taken up the same cause.

The girl shook her head and looked worried. "But if I had sent you the text message you wouldn't have looked at your cellphone until you finished all of your work!" She held a clenched hand against her chest. "It would have been a complete waste if you did all your European History homework when everything was just recently dropped!"

The auburn-haired woman crossed her arms over her chest and forced a smile onto her face. "I thank you for your concern and I appreciate the news. It would definitely help me out." Mitsuru pushed down her visor and put up the stand once more. "Now if you will excuse me, I must be on my way." With a quick wave, she ignited the motorcycle engine and accelerated down the road. Strangely, her mind was devoid of any thoughts throughout the whole trip to her apartment. She managed a polite greeting to the apartment caretaker after parking her bike before she silently made her way to her room. It was just as expected from the Kirijo group heiress' room. Every single item and furniture looked expensive and well made from the lush couches to the high-tech wide screen plasma TV set on the wall.

The dark crimson-eyed woman carelessly dropped her helmet on the table and began to rid herself of her racing jacket, jeans, shirt and shoes. It was only when she was in the bathroom when she discarded the remaining pieces of clothing on her so that she could take a shower. The warm water that cascaded down her body from the wide shower nozzle calmed her somewhat. Every single day since the start of the semester was now a boring routine that Mitsuru repeated as each new day dawned. Her body clock would wake her at exactly seven in the morning and she would get ready for class in forty-five minutes and use the remaining fifteen minutes to get to school. She would then go through an assortment of classes varying from Literature, Philosophy, Calculus, European History and a few others. Come lunchtime, Mitsuru would spend it either alone or in the student council's room. She'd end class each day at four in the afternoon then head home on her Ducati.

"Such is the life of Mitsuru Kirijo," she muttered to herself as she twisted the shower knobs to halt the flow of water. Stepping out of the stall, Mitsuru hastily grabbed a towel and walked out of the bathroom and into her bedroom as she dried herself off. She was rummaging through her dresser for clean clothes when her cellphone started to ring. Wrapping herself back in her towel, she grabbed her cellphone, sat on her bed and answered the call. "Kirijo speaking."

"_Senpai! You're always so formal on the phone and in person! You got to lighten up a bit!"_

Despite the annoying voice and equally annoying suggestion, Mitsuru couldn't help but smile as she recognized the voice of the caller. "Yukari, I have to be formal on the phone too. I don't only get phone calls from you and our other friends you know." In actuality, Mitsuru would get more phone calls from the Kirijo group than from her friends. "Why are you calling?"

"_It's a Sunday tomorrow! Remember we agreed that we would go out?"_ Yukari reminded her senpai. _"We're supposed to have a girl's day-out but Fuuka and Aigis can't make it anymore. Fuuka's helping Natsuki to study for college entrance exams. Aigis on the other hand refuses to leave Minato's side."_

"So you called to say that tomorrow is cancelled?" Mitsuru clarified, feeling a bit disappointed that she wasn't going to get to see her friends.

"_Actually senpai, I called to say that you and I should still go ahead and meet up tomorrow!"_ Yukari replied cheerfully. _"We never really went out together except if you count those times we talked in each other's rooms." _Mitsuru could hear the other girl chuckle. _"If you're not busy, we could still meet up?"_ she asked hopefully. _"Come on senpai! I know you're as bored as I am!"_

Mitsuru chuckled as she ran a hand through her damp hair. "All right Yukari," she agreed. "Where should I meet you?" She had become rather fond of Yukari after everything they went through together. Both their fathers had worked in the experiment that brought the shadows to earth and when Mitsuru' own father had passed away, it was Yukari who stayed at her side.

"_How about Paulownia Mall?" _she suggested. _"I know it's farther for you, but if you like, I could just take the train or bus to a place closer to your university." _

"That isn't necessary Yukari," Mitsuru told her friend. "I'll meet up with you at Paulownia Mall at around ten am?"

"_That would be great senpai! I'll see you tomorrow then!"_ Yukari said cheerfully before hanging up.

Mitsuru pulled the cellphone away from her ear and gazed at it for a few moments. It was a bit strange that Yukari still insisted to go out despite the fact that her other friends would not be able to make it. Perhaps she had something important to talk about with Mitsuru… something like college entrance exams or student council matters. _That may be it,_ the auburn-haired college student thought to herself. _We'll just have to find out tomorrow then._

* * *

It was exactly ten in the morning when Mitsuru pulled up in front of Paulownia mall on her Ducati motorcycle. She didn't see Yukari around so she figured she was already waiting inside for her. She took off her helmet and set it on top of her bike before unbuttoning her leather jacket halfway down. She was dressed in her usual civilian attire of fitted jeans, leather jacket over a plain sleeveless shirt and shiny black leather shoes. She had opted to wear her favorite calf-high boots but decided against it because it was not suited for the weather. Mitsuru ignored the frequent looks she was given as she confidently strode into the mall. It's been months since she was last in the area, but it looked like she was still quite as popular as she was when she was still in high school. She recognized a few students, who looked like they were seniors from Gekkoukan, but did not mind them when she spotted the familiar light-haired brunette running up to her with a big smile on her face.

"Senpai! It's great to see you again!" Yukari exclaimed enthusiastically then launched herself into the air to hug the upperclassman. The senior student felt the college student hug her back for a few seconds then pulled back to smile at her friend. "Mitsuru! You look older! What have you been doing in your university?" Yukari made a face at the auburn-haired woman.

Mitsuru smirked. "Studying mostly and holding long arduous talks with the Kirijo group." She flipped her auburn hair over her shoulder looked down slightly at the younger girl's face. "You on the 

other hand look the same as ever. Still a heartthrob in Gekkoukan?" she teased, breaking out in a smile when the younger girl blushed.

"Oh Mitsuru! Those boys are just infatuated and I'm not at all interested."

One auburn eyebrow rose up. "Really now? I thought you liked the attention."

Yukari shuffled her feet. "Well at first it was a bit fun to have a bunch of boys staring, giving you gifts and even doing chores for you," she made a disgusted face. "After a while it got to be really annoying. I don't get the privacy I used to have anymore."

The heiress of the Kirijo group laughed. "Well now you know how I felt when I was the student council president. I hated having boys moaning over me every single day of the week." She rested a finger on her chin. "Then there were also the flood of love letters that would pour out of my locker every time I left the school," she added with a smirk. "Do you get those too?"

"Yes!" Yukari cried out in exasperation. "But at least what I go through isn't as bad as what you went through back in high school. Ever since middle school, you were already so famous! At least I only have to go through a year of this kind of popularity!"

"Perhaps you're right," Mitsuru admitted. "So where do you want to go?"

"A movie first then let's eat lunch at the Wild Duck Burger?" Yukari suggested and grinned at her senpai. "I'm sure you are quite used to eating at fast-food restaurants by now."

"You got that right." She and Yukari walked towards the nearby theater and conversed throughout the whole walk. They settled to watch a chick-flick that was about a girl going off to college and ends up signing up for the women's football team to get close to the captain of the men's team. The girl though had no experience with playing football, but she still joined anyway despite all the difficulties she went through. The film was rather predictable as Mitsuru leaned over several times during the movie to guess the outcome with Yukari. Yukari on the other hand didn't like the predictability of the film, but was rather affected by the romantic and sweet scenes. Mitsuru had more fun teasing Yukari for going all gooey-eyed during those scenes. Nevertheless, the two girls enjoyed themselves very much and walked out of the theater laughing.

It was around one in the afternoon when the two friends finally sat themselves at a table in the Wild Duck Burger fast food restaurant. Much to Mitsuru's amusement, Yukari could not help but feel giddy as she watched her senpai eat a burger and some fries with her hands. "Yukari, you've seen me eat with my hands several times already," she reminded her young friend.

"I know!" Yukari replied. "But it's still a treat to see someone like you eat like this in a fast food restaurant!"

The redhead chuckled, her hair falling over one eye. "You have Minato and our other friends to thank. They did get me used to eating in fast food restaurants." She raised her eyebrows in question when Yukari's cheerful face suddenly became somber. "What's wrong?" she asked, hiding her worry in her neutral-sounding voice.

"Don't you miss him?" Yukari asked quietly as she fingered the paper wrapper of her burger on the table. "It's been half a year already since he saved us and the rest of the world from the fall."

Mitsuru sighed heavily and leaned back against her chair. "Of course I miss him," she admitted sadly. "We all miss him. He was a close friend to each one of us and it was a great loss for us when he succumbed into a coma." She rested her fingers on her forehead and looked through them to eye Yukari. "What's wrong Yukari? You're acting strangely."

The light-haired brunette shook her head. "You loved him didn't you?"

"The four of us did," Mitsuru clarified.

"Do you still love him?" Yukari asked quietly.

Mitsuru was silent for a few moments before she finally gave her answer. "Unfortunately, I don't look at him in that way any longer," she told the younger girl. "He was a sweet and understanding guy, but I don't think our relationship was going that way. Besides, I'm still bound by the chains of the 

Kirijo group. Even if he did want to pursue a relationship with me, I would have made him take another path," she added. "Minato wouldn't like the dull corporate life." She chuckled.

"Senpai…"

"Yukari," Mitsuru called out her name patiently. "Why are you concerned about me? I'm perfectly fine!" she insisted, forcing a smile on her face to look more believable.

The younger girl gazed carefully at her senpai. "It's just that you always seemed to be the loneliest among us," she shared still gazing at her senpai's dark crimson eyes. "When you and Akihiko-senpai went off to college, you seemed to distance yourself from us even more. I don't want to see you lonely Mitsuru."

"How can I be lonely?" Mitsuru demanded. "I have you and the others as friends!"

"Even if you have friends around, a person can still get lonesome," Yukari reminded. "What I mean to say is that I think you need to find someone who would love and protect you… someone that you would love and protect just as much." She looked away. "Just like how we all loved Minato."

"Yukari…" Mitsuru breathed out, a bit perplexed by Yukari's attitude. "Having someone to love is a good thing, but I'm seriously not looking to getting into a relationship. There are still four years of college and the Kirijo group that I have to deal with."

Yukari glared at the redhead. "You always use that as an excuse!" she complained, a small smile forming on her face. "Really Mitsuru-senpai! You're nineteen already! I think getting a boyfriend would make you have a happier outlook on life!"

"I told you I'm not interested," Mitsuru told her friend.

Yukari giggled and looked at her friend slyly. "Maybe you're not interested in boys but you're interested in…"

Mitsuru looked horrified. "Of course not Yukari!" she sputtered. "What gave you the notion that I was interested in girls?" she demanded, hoping that she wasn't blushing.

"I was just joking senpai!" Yukari laughed hard. "But you know you didn't just have a fan club composed of boys back in high school."

"I know there were girls too, but I never thought that they idolized me in _that _kind of way!"

"You're really a dense person senpai!" Yukari chortled. "There were a lot of girls crushing on you back when you were still the ever so famous student council president." She looked at her friend with mirth sparkling in her honey-brown eyes. "There was a year mate of mine who once confided in me. She said that since you tended to socialize with the intellects and geniuses, she thought that if she studied harder and got good grades you would eventually notice and like her."

"How silly," Mitsuru huffed and turned away, knowing that she was turning red.

"Well senpai society is becoming more liberal as each day goes by," Yukari informed. "It doesn't matter who you fall in love with as long as you're happy." She gave her senpai a wide grin. "But if you were to get a girlfriend I'd be so shocked and would probably fall into a coma just like Minato!"

"Would you like to experience my execution?" Mitsuru growled at Yukari.

Yukari's grin disappeared and was replaced with a worried look. "I thought you only gave your executions to boys!"

"You could be the first among the girls," Mitsuru replied, evilly grinning at the younger girl.

Yukari shuddered and got out of her chair. "Remind me never to get on your bad side senpai." She glanced at her wristwatch and motioned for Mitsuru to get up. "I have to get going senpai. I'm meeting up with my classmates to do our project." She grabbed her cellphone and flipped it open. "Looks like Akihiko-senpai will be in our area tonight and he wants to treat us out. Why don't you come along?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "I would love to go, but I have things to do back at my apartment. Maybe next time." She and Yukari headed out of the restaurant. Mitsuru offered Yukari a ride on her motorcycle to the train station, which the younger girl eagerly accepted. "Next time you and the others 

should visit me at my university," she told Yukari when they got to the train station. "I'd be glad to give you guys a tour and treat you out to lunch or dinner."

Yukari smiled and hugged her senpai goodbye. "That would be great! I'll tell the others about it when we see each other in school on Monday." She took a step back and gazed solemnly at her senpai's face. "Don't forget my promise to you senpai," she said with a small smile on her face.

"What promise would that be?"

"That no matter what happens," Yukari started. "I would always stay at your side." She grinned, ran up the first flight of stairs then turned around to wave at Mitsuru. "Take care of yourself senpai!" With that, Yukari turned on her heels and disappeared into the station.

Mitsuru stayed at the station and watched the train zoom down the tracks before she secured her helmet on her head and raced her motorcycle towards the highway. She loved her Ducati motorcycle. When the Kirijo group intended to give her a car, she refused and asked for a motorcycle instead. She had not specified what kind of motorcycle she wanted, but the Kirijo group certainly got her the best that money could buy. As she speeded down the road, Mitsuru could not help but think back at her recent conversation with Yukari. Perhaps she was right after all. She did have friends but she still felt lonesome and maybe getting a boyfriend or someone to love would remedy that. _Or girlfriend…_ her subconscious self stated silently. Mitsuru shook the thought out of her head and tried to focus on the road ahead of her only to get lost in her thoughts once more. Before she knew it, she felt a jarring pain on her back and head and heard the ugly squeal of metal on cement. Mitsuru opened her eyes to stare through the broken shards of her visor. She spotted her smoking bike before her head lolled to the side and she passed out.

* * *

"Hey!"

Mitsuru let out a groan and flinched when she felt an unimaginable pain shoot through her head. Her back was less painful but her shoulder burned. She opened her eyes to find out that her helmet was off and that she was lying down on the side of the road. Mitsuru felt she was lying down on something soft as she slowly moved her head to look at her surroundings. She caught a glimpse of the wreckage of her motorcycle several feet away then closed her eyes again as a wave of pain coursed through her body.

"Are you all right?" A woman's voice sounded nearby.

Mitsuru opened her eyes again to see a face looming above hers. It was only now that she realized that she was being held by another woman on the side of the road. The auburn-haired biker tiredly looked up at her savior and tried to speak. Her savior was a woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties and had dark blue hair framing a slender face that was long in the front, but reached only until the nape of her neck at the back. _Kind of like those hairdo's of those rockstars in Junpei's magazines. _She looked through the blue-haired woman's glasses and noticed that she had piercing emerald green eyes that worriedly gazed down on her.

"Don't talk," the woman ordered. "You'll just strain yourself. I have to get you to a hospital. That was a nasty fall and thankfully, you're bike is the one that took the brunt of the fall." She glanced at the wrecked Ducati then looked down once more at the young woman in her arms. "Can you manage to walk?" she asked, then assisted Mitsuru to her feet when she nodded.

"My bike," Mitsuru murmured as she let the woman gently take her arm and drape it around her broad shoulders. "My bike," she repeated in a hoarser voice as she felt her knees give out. She felt her savior secure her hold on her by wrapping an arm around her back and resting her hand on the side of Mitsuru's taut waist.

"Your bike? Your injuries are more important, but I can take your bike along." The blue-haired woman carefully helped Mitsuru into the passenger seat of a pick-up truck parked nearby before hauling 

the bike to the back of her truck. Mitsuru couldn't see how her savior could possibly put the heavy bike into the back compartment of the truck, but she felt the truck sink down with the added weight. "Just stay calm and I'll get you to the hospital as fast as I can."

In just five minutes, they pulled up in front of the emergency room of a modest looking hospital. Mitsuru felt herself being carried and set on a gurney. Everything went by in a blur as she was wheeled into a hospital room and attended to by a couple of doctors. She felt them gently prodding her body and checking her other vital signs on a machine beside the bed.

Finally, the doctor gave her some painkillers and helped her sit up. "Kirijo-san, you are lucky that you were wearing your helmet," he informed his patient. "It saved you from a potentially serious concussion. You have some small lacerations on one cheekbone and on the side of your neck. We're guessing it was caused by the broken shards of your visor when you crashed. You have a few other bruises and scratches, but they're not serious." He glanced at his clipboard. "You did sprain your shoulder quite badly though. It will take a couple of months before you could use it properly again. For now, we are not allowing you to ride your motorcycle for the next few months."

Mitsuru gently rubbed her sore shoulder and nodded her agreement with the doctor. "I'll do that doctor," she told him tiredly. "Where are the medical documents you need me to fill up and sign?" she questioned.

"Oh your friend handled the paperwork," the doctor informed Mitsuru. "She did mention that you would probably want to be the one to pay for the expenses though. Your body is in good enough condition for you to stand up and walk. She is at the waiting room if you wish to see her." He left the room.

Mitsuru slowly got out of bed and checked herself. The nurse had placed a large white band-aid on her injured cheekbone and had wrapped her neck with bandages. She also noted the moist coolness of bruise ointment on the afflicted areas of her skin.

The doctor stuck his head through the doorway. "By the way Kirijo-san, technically you don't need support for your shoulder, but it would be helpful if you purchased a shoulder support," he suggested.

"Shoulder support?"

"Something like those used by athletes. If you wish, we could order one for you, but it might take a few days until you get it." The doctor excused himself to answer the call of his co-worker.

The injured college student thought about the proposition of the doctor and decided not to order one through the hospital. She knew a particular person who could probably get her a shoulder support. Taking her cellphone out of the pocket of her leather jacket that was hung on the wall by a nurse while they treated her, she dialed her old friend's number.

_"Sanada speaking," _a deep voice sounded from the other line.

Mitsuru smiled. "Hello Akihiko," she greeted. "I need a favor."

The boxer chuckled and greeted his friend back. _"Mitsuru it's been a while. So what's the favor? You know I would help you out."_

"Could you get me a shoulder support? I need one as soon as possible," she explained. "If I order it here in the hospital, it'll take longer."

The worry in Akihiko's voice could be clearly heard over the phone. _"You're in the hospital?"_ he demanded. _"What happened Mitsuru?"_ Among all of their friends, it was Akihiko who worried the most about her. It was most probably because they knew each other since middle school.

Mitsuru let out a tired sigh. "I got into an accident recently. Just some bruises and scratches, but I sprained my shoulder when I fell off my bike," she patiently explained, making sure her voice was calm. Akihiko never looked like it but he gets worried easily.

_"That's a relief,"_ the boxer breathed out. _"About the shoulder support, my coach has some for the girls' basketball team since he also coaches for them. I could have it dropped off at your place tomorrow morning if you want."_

The auburn-haired college student nodded her head and grabbed her leather jacket off the hook. She winced when pain shot through her injured shoulder because of her effort. "That would be great Akihiko! I'll be expecting it tomorrow morning then."

_"Take care of yourself Mitsuru,"_ he bid her goodbye and hung up.

Stuffing her cellphone into her jeans' pocket, Mitsuru made her way out of the room and headed to the waiting room. When she entered the slightly room, she easily recognized the woman who saved her. The bespectacled blue-haired woman wore faded jeans, a short-sleeved, pale green-collared shirt and sturdy sandals on her feet. She was conversing with the doctor who treated and seemed very calm. Mitsuru slowly walked over and bowed her thanks to her rescuer while the doctor bid them farewell.

"I wish you well Kirijo-san and Sagara-san," he told them and walked off.

The woman called Sagara watched the doctor's retreating back for a moment then turned to regard Mitsuru with piercing emerald green eyes. "Are you alright, Kirijo-san?" she asked with a smile on her face.

Mitsuru nodded and returned the smile with a weak one. "I feel better thanks to you Sagara-san."

"Call me Skye," she told the college student with an uncomfortable look on her face. "I don't do well with the attached honorifics. I prefer to be called by my first name," she explained. "Besides I'm still getting used to living here in Japan."

"You just recently moved here Skye?" Mitsuru asked. She was intrigued that the older woman looked foreign but spoke well in Japanese.

"I lived here several years ago but moved to London. I decided to move back here after I graduated," Skye explained as she led Mitsuru out of the hospital and into the parking lot.

The first thing that came out of Mitsuru's mouth was a groan upon seeing the sorry state of her motorcycle perched on the back of the pick-up truck. "My bike... Where am I going to get it fixed?"

Skye shook her head and surveyed the extensive damage on the bike. "That's a good question. It's hard to come by auto repair shops that deal with imported vehicles."

"The Kirijo group is going to kill me!"

"I didn't say there wasn't someone who could repair your bike," Skye informed the girl. "Come on! I'll take you there." She opened the passenger door of her pick-up truck and waited for Mitsuru to hop in. "Sorry you must be uncomfortable going somewhere with a complete stranger," the bespectacled woman apologized. "Don't worry though. I know the owner of the repair shop personally and he's a specialist when it comes to imported vehicles."

Mitsuru carefully pulled herself into the pick-up truck. "It's not that I'm wary of you Skye," she told the other woman when she got into the driver's seat. "I just really doubted that you actually knew someone who could fix a wrecked Ducati motorcycle."

The green-eyed woman chuckled. "Let's just say he knows and loves all sorts of imported transportation vehicles," she told the college student. "Especially Ducati motorcycles," she added with a smile as they took to the road. It took them around twenty minutes to reach the repair shop, which was basically a large garage filled with all sorts of equipment and a few cars, motorcycles and one ATV. Skye drove the truck into the garage and got out of the car. "Wait here for a moment while I look for him," she told Mitsuru who had gotten out of the car.

"Skye? Is that you?" A man with graying dark-blue hair stepped out from behind a car and walked towards them. He was dressed in worn blue overalls with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "I thought you'd be back over an hour ago," he told Skye as he wiped his hands on a towel.

The blue-haired woman shook her head and stepped forward to wrap the man in a hug. "Sorry oto-san," she apologized. "I had to go to the aid of this young lady over here when she crashed her motorcycle."

The dark haired man looked at Mitsuru carefully. "Seems like you had quite a fall," he observed. "I'm Akira Sagara." He extended his hand to Mitsuru who politely shook it. "So what made you crash you motorcycle?"

The auburn-haired woman flushed. "I suppose it was because I was… preoccupied with my thoughts during the ride and I didn't notice an uneven patch on the road."

"Oh you mean it's a case of daydreaming," Akira guessed with a broad grin on his face. "Well let's have a look at your bike then." He walked behind the truck and let out a low whistle. "A Ducati? It's rare to actually find these kinds of bikes around here. The tax one has to pay for an imported vehicle is way over the top." He looked curiously at his daughter who stood beside him. "Where'd you find this one Skye? She must be the president's daughter if she was able to purchase this bike."

"Oto-san," Skye warned her father. "Be polite. There's no reason for you to pry about her background. Just do Mitsuru a favor and see if you could fix her bike." She stepped back and watched her father grab a ramp and drag it to the back of the truck.

"Make yourself useful and help me ease this machine down," the man ordered. He stayed at the bottom of the ramp while his daughter jumped into the back and gently eased the wrecked vehicle down onto the ground. "Just by looking I can already say that it'll take me a few weeks to get it back to perfect shape," he informed the bike's owner. "I'll have to order the parts from foreign suppliers too, but I can tell you that it's possible to fix."

"I truly appreciate it Sagara-san," Mitsuru thanked the repair shop owner with a low bow. "Do everything to get it back to its former glory. Money won't be a problem." She kept a straight face when the man goggled at her.

"Oto-san," Skye warned her father again. "Mind your manners."

"Sorry Skye," the aging man apologized. "It's been a while since I last socialized with her kind." He circled the motorcycle once before getting down on one knee to be at eye level with the machine. Akira fished out some paper and a pen from his pockets and proceeded to write on it, using the flat surface of his bended knee. "Do me a favor Skye," he told his daughter who stood leaning her weight on one foot. "Go call my suppliers and check if they have these parts and when I could get them." He pocketed the pen and handed the piece of paper to the dark blue-haired woman.

"All right oto-san," Skye agreed and walked towards what looked to be a small office room at the back of the garage.

"So Kirijo-san," Akira began as he continued to tinker with the wrecked Ducati. "Since when have you been riding motorcycles?"

Mitsuru shifted her weight from one foot to another. "For about three years now," she replied politely, walking around the spacious garage. "Although the first year I got a motorcycle, I didn't have my license yet. I practiced in the parking lot of the Kirijo group that time." She ran a hand across the surface of a large desk set against the wall, stopping to look at a framed picture. Lifting the memento in one hand, the auburn-haired woman looked at the picture to see a younger looking Akira Sagara standing beside a young woman with deep green eyes and raven-black hair mounted on a large black motorcycle.

"That's my wife," Akira told Mitsuru when he spotted her looking at the picture.

"She's very beautiful," Mitsuru observed. She was more intrigued by the fact the woman in the picture seemed to know how to ride a motorcycle. "Where is she now? At home or at work?"

The aging father shook his head. "She died twelve years ago," he said sadly, a forlorn smile on his face. "Leukemia," he named the cause of his wife's death. "Skye was only twelve years old then. She takes after her mother mostly when it comes to attitude and personality. Like a free spirit actually," he 

explained. "She took it as hard as I did when her mother died. Her mother had passed on her love of motorcycles to Skye, but when she passed away, Skye lost interest." He pointed at a covered motorcycle at one corner of the shop. "That bike was supposedly Skye's. She and I were building it, but she didn't want to have anything to do with it after what happened."

"How long has it been since she touched or rode a motorcycle?" Mitsuru asked out of curiosity.

Akira Sagara looked up at the ceiling as he thought of the most accurate answer. "Nine years I think," he estimated. "Give or take a year."

"She mentioned to me a while back that she had just moved back here in Japan," Mitsuru shared. Akira Sagara's recounting of their family history had definitely picked at her interest. "If I remember correctly, Skye said that she was living in London."

"You're right," the mechanic replied, continuing his pre-repairs on the motorcycle. "I… I was going through some hard times back then and it was getting difficult for me to support Skye. Her mother's family-" he paused, looking for the right word to say. "They offered to take Skye to London where they lived and raise her there. Her education would be accounted for." He grabbed a towel from a nearby table and hung it around his shoulders. "So she went and stayed in London for the next twelve years until she decided to come back here to Japan and live with me."

"She must have missed you," Mitsuru pointed out.

"Perhaps," Akira replied then went back to working on the bike.

Mitsuru could easily tell that the mechanic was hiding things from her, but she had no right to push him to say those things. She was set to ask the older man how he wanted to be paid when his daughter walked up to them.

"Oto-san, you're suppliers said that they have all the parts you requested," Skye informed her father. "They also said that they'll deliver the parts in two days." Her father replied with a grunt and continued to do his work on the bike. To Mitsuru, she said, "Well Mitsuru-san, shall I drive you back to your place or would you prefer I call you a taxi?"

Mitsuru shook her head at the first choice. "I've already caused you a lot of trouble, Skye-san," she told the older woman. "I'll just take a taxi back to my apartment. It's quite a ways from here and I don't want to hassle you by asking you to drive for me."

Skye nodded her head and walked back to the office to phone a taxi service for Mitsuru.

"Sorry if this sounds rude," Mitsuru apologized ahead to mechanic when Skye was inside the office. "You and your daughter don't seem so close to each other."

"Twelve years of being apart does that to two people," the mechanic grunted as he extracted a totaled part from the bike's interior. "We were a close-knit family when her mother was still alive," he explained. "I'm used to it anyway. It's only been two months since she arrived so we're still working out the awkwardness between us."

The dark-blue haired woman stalked out of the office and went to stand by her father. "Mitsuru-san, the taxi will be here in a few minutes. The service radioed one of their drivers who is in the area," she informed the college student.

The crimson-eyed student nodded her thanks and turned to talk to the mechanic. "Sagara-san, what mode of payment would you prefer?"

"Anything will do Kirijo-san," the wiry-bodied man replied. "I think I hear the taxi outside." He glanced outside and spotted the taxi parked outside of his garage. "Well there's your ride." He got up, walked to his desk and grabbed a calling card from inside of one of the drawers. He led the two women outside and handed his calling card to Mitsuru while his daughter held the taxi's door open. "Here," he rumbled. "Give me a call in two or three days. I'll update you then with the state of repairs for your Ducati."

Mitsuru Kirijo bowed deeply to the father-daughter pair. "My thanks," she told them gratefully. "I'll call you in three days then." She exchanged a polite smile with Skye before hopping into the taxi. 

She told the driver where to take her then settled back against her seat for the long trip back home. It took a good half hour for the taxi to arrive at her apartment. Mitsuru paid the driver exactly then trudged into the building and boarded one of the elevators. She was feeling really tired by the time she entered her room and locked the door behind her. It was past six in the evening already and she didn't have the strength to make herself dinner so she called up a Chinese take-out restaurant to deliver some food.

While waiting for the food to arrive, Mitsuru went into her bathroom to take a quick shower. She had to brace herself against the tiled walls of the shower stall because her knees felt like they were going to give out at any moment. The doorbell rang signaling the arrival of her food just as Mitsuru stepped out of her room in a clean set of clothes. She had thought that she was famished, but she could only manage to finish half of the box. "Guess I wasn't that hungry after all," she mumbled to herself, ambling into her kitchen and placing the leftovers into her refrigerator. "Perhaps sleep is what I need the most now."

The well-mannered girl went into her room and fell onto her bed heavily. The moment she slipped underneath the blanket and closed her eyes, Mitsuru fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Mitsuru managed to get to her university in the same amount of time it usually took her despite being injured and a tad bit tired until now. The Kirijo group had scolded the heiress for her carelessness and grudgingly agreed to pay for the repairs of her Ducati rather than buy her a new one. They also assigned a chauffeur and car that would temporarily be her means of travelling until her shoulder was well enough to be subjected to the strains of motorcycling once more.

Akihiko kept his promise to Mitsuru. The former student council president found a package at her doorstep that contained a black shoulder support. It took her a while to put it on, but she could easily feel the difference it made for her sprained shoulder. She looked at a mirror and saw that the support was hardly seen except for its edge that peeked out of her collar. Thanking the chauffeur who had driven her to school, Mitsuru got out of the car and made her way towards the building where her first class was. All around her, she could head the whispers of her fellow college students.

"Kirijo-san came in a car today!" A girl exclaimed.

"She usually rides her motorcycle to school," another girl stated. "I wonder why the sudden change in transportation."

A male student close by nudged his friend. "Hey! Looks like Kirijo-san is hurt. She had bandages around her neck and band-aids on her cheek, arms and hands."

"You're right. I wonder what happened to her?"

Mitsuru chose to ignore all the conversations pertaining to her as she casually walked up two flights of stairs, down a hallway and opened the door of her classroom. She had planned to just sit on her chair and get through the class peacefully, but she was bombarded with questions by her fellow classmates. "I had a motorcycle accident, but it's nothing serious," she told them. "I'm alright so please stop worrying."

It was the same thing in each of her succeeding classes. Once she stepped foot inside the room, her classmates would crowd around her and ask the same questions. Her professors were also the same, but weren't as repetitive. By the time Mitsuru was making her way to her last class for the day, she was rather cross. Her fellow students got the point to stay away when they recognized the irritated look on the auburn-haired girl's face.

"Mitsuru-sama!" A girl's familiar voice called from down the hallway. The overly perky Nakajima-san came skipping towards Mitsuru and stared at her in absolute shock. "You're injured! Who did this to you? I'll gather my recruits and beat the person up for making you like this!"

"Nakajima-san," the auburn-haired college student growled. "I'm not in the mood to be coddled so please step away." Mitsuru's deep voice was smooth as she spoke, but her eyes told a different story. "Will you excuse me?" she told the fan girl and the rest of the students who lounged around the doorway of the classroom. The group of male and female students separated like the red sea while Mitsuru strode through them and sat heavily on her chair by the window.

Today's last class was European History and Mitsuru was soon contemplating if she should just cut that class since it was a big possibility that the school couldn't fill in the position on such short notice. Her eyes were still glued to the view outside the window when she heard the door slide open and strong and confident footsteps walk to the front of the room. The students in the room all fell silent as they exchanged looks with each other.

"She's a professor?" someone from Mitsuru's back whispered to her seatmate. "She looks young enough to be our age!"

"The professor looks cool though," another girl whispered from another area of the room. "She reminds me of a rockstar." The girl giggled. "She doesn't even dress up like a professor!"

Mitsuru turned away from the window to see who their new professor was. She blinked a few times, her hair falling over one crimson orb as she stared. Their professor was quite different from their usual faculty for she wore an outfit that was bordering casual. The woman was wearing a well-pressed long sleeved collared blouse with its sleeves carelessly rolled up her arms, a deep blue-gray v-neck sleeveless shirt worn on top of the blouse, jeans and comfortable leather shoes. She was tall for a woman, standing at probably five feet and nine inches and had a wiry build. On her ears, she had two simple piercings on each lobe, but had an assortment of three earrings located along the rim of her right ear. What truly surprised the auburn-haired student were the familiar emerald-green eyes this time not hiding behind eyeglasses that gazed back at her.

Mitsuru pushed away the hair that fell over one eye so that she could get a better look at the professor. The familiarity of those emerald-green eyes quickly intensified when she further recognized the shock of slightly tussled dark blue hair.

"Good afternoon," the blue-haired and green-eyed woman greeted. "I suppose you're all wondering someone as young and… atypical as me is here to teach European History." She grinned at the shocked students. "I'm not a stuffy adult like those professors you got in your faculty." She removed her messenger bag from her shoulder, placed it on the table, moved to the front of the desk, and leaned against its edge. "Let me introduce myself then each of you could introduce yourselves to me afterwards." She looked at her students. "I'm Skye Sagara," she started. "Formerly from London, graduated from London University exactly a year ago, fluent in English, Japanese and French," she enumerated while she counted it off on her fingers. "No boyfriend," she smirked at the boys who reacted in her class. "But not interested," she added, amused at the reaction of the male students. "Anything else?"

"How old are you Sagara-sensei?" Mitsuru's seatmate asked.

"Twenty-four," Skye replied back easily. "By the way boys and girls, I'd prefer if you call me Skye-sensei or sensei." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not that old and I'm sure there are quite a few of you who are just a handful of years younger than I am. Any other questions before I make each of you introduce yourselves?"

The room was silent.

"Good!" Skye approved. "Let's start at the back." Each student got to his or her feet and gave their name and a few things about themselves. Some boys were daring enough to mention that they were single and willing to give chase even though they know it'd be just a dead end.

Finally, it was Mitsuru's turn. She honestly thought that it wasn't necessary to introduce herself since she had just met their professor the day before. Rather than risk creating a fuss among her fellow classmates from already knowing their young and cool professor, she decided to just get over the 

activity. "I'm Mitsuru Kirijo," she started, slightly raising an eyebrow at her professor. "Graduated from Gekkoukan high school and I'm an avid motorcyclist. If you're going to ask about my injuries, I got them yesterday after crashing my bike on the way home from an outing," she explained, thinking that it would have been unusual to her classmates if she didn't mention the cause of her injuries.

"Are you feeling better?"

Mitsuru nodded her head. "It's a pleasure to meet you sensei." She took her seat once more and waited as the rest of the students introduced themselves.

"All right then," Skye said after all the students had their turn. "Today's the first day so I'll let you guys go now." A collection of surprised cries and confused looks came from the class. "If you decide to stay in your seats then I suppose I could come up with a lesson right now and give some homework," she thought aloud, hiding a smile as the student quickly got to their feet and filed out of the classroom as they called out goodbyes to their new professor.

Mitsuru purposely lagged behind by taking her time gathering her things and putting them in her bag. After seeing that all her classmates had left the room, she straightened and walked to the front of the class where her professor still sat on the edge of her desk. "This is rather surprising," Mitsuru admitted. "You were the last person I expected to take this position."

"Why is that Mitsuru-san?" Skye asked, a friendly smile on her face. Emerald-green eyes sparkled with mirth and amusement.

The younger woman shrugged her shoulders and fixed her grip on her case. "You just didn't seem like the type of person to take up a teaching job," she replied. "Your father mentioned the other day that you were very much like a free spirit."

"I am a free spirit," Skye chuckled. "Working in cramped offices would be the type of thing I'm not suited to. In a classroom, I'm able to practice my freedom by teaching through unconventional methods."

"Your manner of dressing for work says as much," Mitsuru pointed out with an amused smile.

"And you have to admit it makes a boring European History class a bit more interesting than you expected," Skye added. "You still have class, Mitsuru-san? You might be late if we continue our conversation."

"It's my last class for today actually," she informed her professor. "I usually go home right after class by motorcycle, but since yesterday I have to rely on a hired chauffeur to pick me up." She glanced at her watch and frowned. "Since you decided to dismiss the class early, I won't be expecting him for another hour or so."

"I apologize for that," Skye said, bowing her head. "I will remember not to do that again this semester. In the mean time since you won't be leaving for another hour, why don't you let me treat you out for coffee or tea as an apology?" She grabbed her messenger bag and slung it onto her shoulder. "I spotted a café nearby that is if you agree to go with me."

"Well… I got nothing else to do so I'll take you up on your offer… sensei."

"Sensei?" Skye repeated as she and her student walked down the hallway and down the stairs. "You don't need to call me that when we're not in the classroom Mitsuru-san."

The redhead shook her head. "It would be improper to call you by your first name while we're on campus. Outside of the campus, it would be all right for me to drop the honorifics." Already many students were staring at Mitsuru and Skye when they stepped out of the building. "Besides, a lot of students would find it weird that I'm… chummy with a professor."

"Point well taken, Kirijo-san." She and the redhead leisurely walked towards the one of the campus' numerous cafes. They enjoyed a comfortable silence all the way to the café and only began to converse once more when they were both seated at a table. "Does it bother you?" Skye asked.

"What do you mean?"

The blue-haired professor fingered the collar of her shirt, indicating the sprained shoulder.

"Oh." Mitsuru pulled away her collar and revealed the black shoulder support she wore underneath her shirt. "It's a bit sore, but the shoulder support I got from an old friend of mine is helping me out a lot." She thanked the server who brought them their drinks. "It'll take a month or two before I could actually get back on my motorcycle. By the way, I've been meaning to ask but wasn't it that you were wearing glasses yesterday?"

"It was only yesterday that I was wearing my glasses. One of my contacts fell off and I couldn't find it anymore so I had to use my glasses until I got back home," Skye replied, looking deep in thought. "Kirijo-san-"

"You could call me Mitsuru, sensei," Mitsuru interrupted, getting tired of being called that way by the older woman.

Skye smiled ruefully. "Well then Mitsuru, are you sure it's all right that you're hanging out with your professor and not with your friends among the students?" she asked. "You did say that it looks quite awkward that a student and professor are chummy as you described it."

"The students won't find it strange that I'm hanging around a professor," Mitsuru informed.

"Why wouldn't it be strange?"

The redhead gazed at Skye with a lone crimson orb. "I-" she hesitated. "I don't really have many friends in this university," Mitsuru finally let out. "Sure there are lot of students who admire me, but I don't consider any of them as my friends."

"I'm a bit surprised," Skye confessed. "With your looks and the way you act, I would have thought that you had numerous friends and not just fans."

"Oh the looks and attitude you mentioned are certainly factors that would make me popular, but students cannot forget my background, which tends to unnerve them."

"What can be more unnerving than an eccentric professor who goes to class in funky clothes and had several piercings on her ears?"

Mitsuru could not help but smile at that. "That's true, but you would probably act the same too if you knew that you were spending time with the heiress of a multi-billion dollar company."

Skye shrugged and downed the remaining contents of her drink. "Heiress of the famous Kirijo Group and Industries? Do you think that really matters to me?" she asked. "Being wary of the person you're with is one thing, but what these students do to you is too much."

"I can't blame them because they see me on a whole other level than they are," Mitsuru shared, a sad smile developing on her face. "And you know what? They're right." She crossed her arms across her chest and looked outside of the café. "How can they socialize with person like me? I hear it so many times that I'm not part of their kind of people."

"That's plain stupid."

Mitsuru stared at her professor, surprised at the other woman's bluntness.

"Those people are wrong, Mitsuru," Skye told the redhead firmly. "I admit that it's a common reaction, but you shouldn't let that get to you." Her deep green eyes gazed at her with concern. "Well I could assure you of one thing."

"What is that?" Mitsuru rubbed her temples.

"Your real friends don't look at you in that way," Skye replied. "And if you allow it, I can be a friend who would accept you for who you are and not because of your social status or personal background."

"Sensei…"

Skye shook her head and smiled at her student. "It's up to you though. I'm not forcing you to be friends with me, but if you need someone to talk to you could always come to me." She glanced at her wristwatch and swore. "Sorry I have to get going. I completely forgot that I have to pick up my father." Fishing her wallet out of her pocket, she dropped enough money onto the table to pay for both their drinks. "Your chauffeur?"

"He's arriving any minute now," Mitsuru answered, looking up at her professor gratefully. "Sensei, thank you for… today," she summed up instead of enumerating the things her professor had 

done for her. "I really appreciate it. I might as well thank you also for yesterday." She could not help but blush in embarrassment as she remembered how her professor had saved both her and her motorcycle.

"Not a problem Mitsuru," Skye replied, laying a hand on one of Mitsuru's slender shoulders and squeezing it reassuringly. "I'll go ahead. Take care of yourself on your way home!" With a wave, she strode out of the café and disappeared down the path.

After she had seen to paying for their drinks, Mitsuru grabbed her bag and walked out of the café just as her chauffeur pulled up along the curb. She was just about to reach for the door when she felt someone hug her from behind.

"Mitsuru-senpai!"

"Yukari?!" Mitsuru said her friend's name in disbelief. "What are you doing here?" She broke away from Yukari's grip and turned around to see that Junpei, Ken, Fuuka and Akihiko standing behind Yukari with grins on their faces. "What are _all _of you doing here?"

"You missed out on Akihiko-senpai's treat last night," Junpei explained. "We all sort of decided last night that we should drop by and visit you after Yukari mentioned her outing with you."

Fuuka nodded in agreement. "We know that it's harder to contact and visit you since you live even farther away than Akihiko-senpai, so we thought that we should at least visit you once in a while."

"I've always wanted to see how a university looks like!" Ken added, a toothy grin on his face.

"The only difference is that I'm not the one who's going to treat you guys out for dinner," Akihiko grumbled. "Mitsuru! You take care of dinner alright?"

Mitsuru genuinely smiled at her friends. "How did all of you get here?"

"By train of course!" Yukari exclaimed with a laugh.

"Well since all of you here," Mitsuru began. "I suppose I should take you all out for dinner then."

"Yahoo!" Junpei yelled, pumping his fist in the air. "That mean's this is going to be our second free meal in a row!"

"Come along now," Mitsuru said wryly. "We could all use my car to get to the restaurant." She and Yukari waited as the rest of their friends squished at the back seat of the car.

"By the way senpai, are you feeling all right?" Yukari asked. "Akihiko-senpai told us that you had an accident yesterday." She was obviously worried because it occurred after their outing.

"I'm really all right," Mitsuru assured her younger friend.

Yukari let out a sigh of relief. "That's good! Oh I spotted you talking to this cool looking girl before you stepped out of the café. Is she one of your classmates?"

"Actually, she's my professor," Mitsuru corrected, laughing at the weird look Yukari was giving her. "I know I know… she doesn't look like a professor, but she shouldn't look like one because she's only a few years older. She was also the one who brought me to the hospital after I crashed my motorcycle and her dad is the mechanic who's trying to repair my Ducati."

"I'm glad you're making friends senpai!" Yukari said happily. "But I'm your best girl friend right?"

"Of course, Yukari," Mitsuru promised her friend as they boarded the car and drove out of the university campus. "You are truly my best friend among the girls."

* * *

_**Quite a long first chapter, but I'm glad I finally got to put it up. As I said at the start of this chapter, I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to make this a Mitsuru x Yukari story or a Mitsuru x OC one. As the story progresses, I'll be able to decide eventually. You could give me your opinions and suggestions about it if you wish. I appreciate the reviews I receive and I usually reply back to my reviewers in the next chapter I upload. **_

_**Next chapter: Typical university days, visiting the repair shop and the professor's introduction to Mitsuru's friends. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2: Small Revelations and Suspicious Youngsters_

European history was truly fascinating. Mitsuru could not understand why her classmates were still bored out of their wits despite having a professor the opposite of boring. Who wouldn't be intrigued by a land ruled by monarchs, riddled with power struggles and war, and the beauty of the historical churches, castles and other infrastructures? The auburn-haired college student was certainly intrigued by this and could not help but gaze and listen in wonder as their young professor passionately talked about the influential artists from the Renaissance period.

"Sensei," a student raised his hand and called the professor's attention. "You're talking about all these paintings, sculptures and buildings, but it's kind of hard for us not so worldly ones to imagine."

The blue-haired woman blinked and had a blank look on her face. "Huh? Oh! Sorry kids," she apologized, grinning. "I got ahead of myself because of my excitement." She very much resembled a kid. "I brought an LCD projector and a laptop to show you pictures and a few videos." She began to set up the equipment on her desk. "You'll have to bear with it though," Skye warned. "A lot of the pictures and videos," she paused. "Well let's just say you'll be seeing a lot of your professor."

Mitsuru chuckled along with her classmates and leaned forward as the first few pictures came onto the screen.

"This is Canterbury Cathedral," Skye gestured at the picture. "The area near the altar is a sacred place. Could any of you guess why it's considered holy?"

"Because people pray there?" a male student joked and laughed along with his classmates.

"You know what? You're partly correct." Skye showed another picture, this time it was a close up picture of the altar. "An innocent and morally upright man by the name of Thomas Becket was murdered here by knights while he was deep in prayer." She showed another angle of the altar.

"That's cool!" the same male student commented.

Skye smiled. "It is rather cool because the murderers did a blasphemous act by killing in a holy place," she explained. "But there is an even greater sin committed."

"They could not get rid of the blood stains on the floor?" another student tried, which got a laugh from the class.

Skye shook her head and leaned against the wall of the room. "Who has the power to command knights?" She looked around for a volunteer. "Anyone? Kirijo-san, you seem like you may know the answer."

Mitsuru nodded. "Knights directly fall under command of the ruler," she told both her class and professor. "So that would be the monarchs."

"Exactly!" Skye nodded her head in approval.

A student raised her hand. "So that means, the king ordered his knights to kill the man?"

Skye shook her head and flashed the next picture of two men. "The king didn't order his knights to kill the man."

"Then what happened then?" the girl asked in confusion.

Skye smiled knowingly. "What if I told you that the king and Thomas Becket were long time friends?" She let the students murmur to each other. "Before the King Henry II was crowned, he wanted his dear friend to ascend to the position of archbishop of Canterbury while he became the king," she explained. "During that time, the church also held a lot of power along with the ruling monarchy. Monarchs would often try to establish connections with the church so that they could broaden their influence. This particular king's line of thinking was exactly the same and having his own friend holding a high position in the church would greatly benefit his reign." She showed them a couple of other pictures of the men. "What he didn't expect was his friend's refusal to let the king govern his affairs if he did become archbishop because it was against his beliefs. So there was a fight between them."

"But it still doesn't make sense that the king didn't order his knights to kill his friend! He was angry at him right?" another student pointed out. It was clear that the class was now truly interested.

"It is rather confusing if you think about it," Skye admitted. "Can anyone speculate what led to the murder then?" She hid an amused smile as she looked at the scrunched faces of her students.

"Perhaps there was a miscommunication?" Mitsuru hypothesized quietly.

"Correct Kirijo-san," Skye commended the auburn-haired student, hearing the other students whisper admiration and praise for Mitsuru. "Once the king was officially ruler and the distance between him and Thomas Becket was greater, he expressed his overburdened feelings about his friend in the presence of his knights." She motioned at Mitsuru. "Why don't you continue, Kirijo-san?"

Mitsuru straightened in her seat. "Perhaps the knights misunderstood their king and decided to do away with their liege's problem. So even if there wasn't a clear and formal order, the knights travelled to Canterbury and murdered his friend."

Skye smiled. "And that is why that altar is sacred. I'd like to add that because of that event, the king's friend was canonized eventually."

"What happened to the king? Did his friend's death benefit him?"

The blue-haired professor shook her head. "On the contrary, he became distraught upon finding out about the heinous crime of his knights. He may have been angry but not enough to actually take his friend's life," she told the now sober class. "To ease his guilt and repent for his sin, the king travelled to Canterbury Cathedral, specifically to Thomas Becket's tomb and begged to receive a physically punishing penance. No clear account states how he was punished but some theorists say that he was flogged." She showed a picture of the tomb. "The journey of the king Henry II to Canterbury is still done today. It's a popular pilgrimage in England done by all sorts of people."

"Did you do the pilgrimage too sensei?" a student from the back of the room asked.

"I sure did," Skye replied, pressing a button on her laptop and showing a series of pictures of a road. Some of the pictures showed a younger looking Skye travelling down a rural dirt road with a group of people. "It was..." she paused, looking serious for a moment. "A humbling experience," she continued. She glanced at her watch just as the school bell tolled, signalling the end of the class. "We'll continue our discussion on another day." She dismissed the class and began to pack the equipment as the students left the room. She was about to leave the room when she noticed that she had a student waiting for her. "Kirijo-san," she greeted the girl. "Did you stay behind to clarify something?"

The auburn-haired girl shook her head, her hair moving away to reveal the usually hidden crimson orb. "I just wanted to say that I have never attended such a class like yours."

Skye frowned. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Mitsuru grinned up at the woman who was three inches taller than her. "It's a good thing sensei," she explained. "Our former professor in this subject was too stiff and he mostly relied on text." She could not stop herself from making a face. "I didn't mind his style of teaching but my classmates disapproval of him would often get us in trouble."

"I'm curious," Skye said, grabbing her laptop and the LCD projector. "What kind of trouble would you get into?"

"Oh the usual pop quizzes and long papers to be submitted the next day," Mitsuru replied, following her professor out of the room. "The worse that happened was a classmate of mine being called to the front and was asked to recite the Magna Carta." She smirked and hurriedly covered it with her hand. "Of course our former professor would pick just the student who would stammer his way through the report."

The dark blue-haired professor laughed. "Well you won't have to worry about that in my class," she assured her student. "The way some professors go, it would seem like terrorizing their students is a favourite past time." The two of them stepped out of the building to see a sleek black car coming towards them. "I had my fair share of those kinds of professors when I was still a university student," she explained then grinned. "Although it was not always serious work for me." There was a wicked glint in her emerald green eyes.

"Your life just seems so interesting," Mitsuru pointed out just as her car pulled up beside them. "I wish I could ask more, but I must go." She bowed to her sensei and proceeded to board the car when she hesitated. "Sensei," she said, surprised to hear herself being shy. "My friends and I are going out this Saturday. It's a holiday," she hurriedly added. "If you're not busy, would you like to come with us? They wanted to meet you when I told them about you." Somehow she felt as embarrassed as a young girl who was asking a boy out on a date. The only thing that kept her at her usual formal self was the kind smile on Skye's face.

"I'd love to go and meet your friends," the young professor said. "But I've already made plans on that day," she continued, regret evident in her voice. "Perhaps another time, Kirijo-san?"

"I'll take your word on that, sensei." She bowed once more then got into the car.

"Where to Kirijo-san?" the driver asked. "To your apartment?"

Mitsuru shook her head. "Take me to the Kirijo group's main office," she redirected the chauffeur. "I've been called to handle some very pressing matters."

"As you wish, Kirijo-san."

* * *

The end of Friday's classes came rather quickly. Mitsuru breezed through her first few classes and joined a crowd of eager students on their way to the last class for the day. They entered the room to find the laptop and LCD projector set up already. Their professor was leaning her forearms on the windowsill, looking out of the opened window. Mitsuru's classmates cheerfully greeted the older woman and went to their respective seats. None of the students except for Mitsuru seemed to notice that there was something wrong with their sensei. Usually, Skye would greet back her students and would immediately jump to her lesson for the day. Today, the green-eyed woman merely smiled at her them and took a few more minutes looking out the window before she walked back to the desk to start today's lesson.

Mitsuru was distracted at the barely noticeable change in the older woman. She could not help but wonder what had happened as she pretended that everything was all right. Her classmates still enjoyed that day's class and reluctantly left the room when the school bell rung. The auburn-haired student purposely lagged behind again so that she could talk to her professor. "Sensei," she approached, trying not to sound worried.

"Hmmm?" Skye looked up, surprised to see Mitsuru still there. "What is it Kirijo-san?" The smile on her face was easily tight and tired.

Tucking her hair behind an ear, Mitsuru asked, "Are you alright? Something doesn't feel right about you."

The look on Skye's face was indescribable. It was a mixture of shock, perplexity and maybe even anger. Mitsuru was starting to regret that it was a wrong move for her to ask, but her professor's face visibly softened and looked sadly at her.

"I was thinking that none of you would notice my change in attitude," Skye explained, running a careless hand through her hair. "I was wrong then since you did notice." She let out a long sigh. "I'm alright, Kirijo-san," she told the younger woman with a worn smile. "I've had to handle some serious matters while remembering and honouring my deceased mother today." She went back to looking out the window. "I probably won't have the time to even visit her grave," she admitted, sullen. "That's why I was acting strangely a while back."

Mitsuru felt genuinely sorry. She had recently felt the loss of a parent, but it probably wasn't as great compared to Skye. She did not share such a close relationship with her father, but she could empathize with the blue-haired woman.

Skye caught the look of worry in her student's eyes. "Kirijo-san, please don't worry about me. I'll be alright."

"I'll try not to, sensei," Mitsuru replied, she walked to the door and glanced back at her professor.

"Kirijo," Skye warned, a smile still on her face. "I'll seriously be alright so go on ahead already."

Mitsuru's face flushed when she realized what she was doing. She bowed silently then slid the door open and stepped outside. Turning around to slide the door close, she spotted Skye's saddened face and with a soft sigh shut the door.

* * *

Saturday morning arrived and Mitsuru had just arrived at a restaurant along the coast. Yukari had informed her the other night that they were going to eat at the restaurant Junpei had worked in during the summer. Their loud friend highly commended the restaurant and if not for Akihiko who had eaten there in the past, they would have settled to eat along Iwatodai station.

Since Mitsuru had no power on how fast her temporary chauffeur would get her to the agreed place, she was ten minutes early. Rather than making the chauffeur wait, she sent him back and decided to wait around until her friends arrived. Five minutes of walking around eventually bored the redhead, so she chose to lean against the wall of the restaurant close to one corner. She was wearing her a common non-school outfit of comfortable jeans, a simple shirt and her favourite leather jacket over it.

"How are you?" a voice from around the corner asked faintly. Mitsuru guessed it was coming from the outdoor dining area of the restaurant.

"I should be the one asking that," another voice sounded. "It's been twelve years after all since you were last here, Skye."

Mitsuru's ears perked upon hearing the name of her professor. She carefully peeked around the corner and it was indeed her European History professor who was talking. The blue-haired woman was seated at a table and facing the direction where Mitsuru was hiding. Skye's companion was another woman with chocolate brown hair, but she could only see her back. She hid herself from view and continued to listen on the conversation.

"Both of us have the right to ask that, Miyuki," Skye's voice said a few feet away.

The woman called Miyuki sounded exasperated when she replied. "You're still as nonchalant as ever, but it's obvious that you've been depressed lately." She paused. "What's wrong? Is it because you weren't able to visit your mother's grave yesterday?"

Mitsuru heard a faint sigh from her professor. "That's part of it, but there was something else."

There was silence for a few seconds before Miyuki spoke. "It's your father isn't it? Has it gotten worse?"

"We got the results yesterday morning and it's positive that the tumour in his lungs is cancerous. He's been getting tired easily but he still works like a madman."

"Don't you tell him to let up a bit?"

Mitsuru heard her professor snort. "My father? He wouldn't let go of his tools even if he knew he was going to die tomorrow!"

"Sounds just like your old man," Miyuki chuckled. "What's the problem then with him?"

"He refuses to get treatment," came the somber reply. "He doesn't have enough money and he knows that I don't too."

"But what about your mother's-" Miyuki tried.

"I won't Miyuki," Skye interrupted. "Absolutely not!"

"But!"

Mitsuru strained to hear the rest of the conversation, but jumped in surprise when she heard someone shouting her name.

"Hoy! Mitsuru-senpai!" a girl's voice called from afar.

Mitsuru hurriedly motioned with her hands to get Yukari to keep quiet. She was leading a group composed of herself, Junpei, Fuuka, Ken, Aigis and Akihiko. They were all dressed in casual attire, most wearing jackets and coats because of that day's wind-chill factor.

"Yo! Mitsuru-senpai! Why are you standing behind that wall?" Junpei yelled enthusiastically, making Mitsuru drop her head in embarrassment.

"Good afternoon, Kirijo-san," Skye's voice sounded close to her.

Mitsuru looked to the right and stared into emerald green eyes. "Sensei," she greeted weakly, feeling really embarrassed from being found out.

"This is quite an unusual place you picked to wait for your friends." Her eyes flicked towards the group of students approaching them. "Hear anything interesting lately?" The smile was there, but there was an unreadable expression in her eyes. All of a sudden, her head jerked down and she let out a yelp.

"It's not nice to pick on kids, Skye," the woman named Miyuki scolded her friend after bonking her on the head with a fist. "I'm sure it was just an accident that she overheard our conversation." She smiled at the still embarrassed Mitsuru. "Don't worry! Skye here isn't angry. She just has this bad habit of teasing people she likes."

Mitsuru opened her mouth, still uncertain of what she was going to say. Just then, her friends surrounded her and curiously looked at the two older women with their auburn-haired friend. She made up her mind to apologize to Skye after introducing her friends to them, when Yukari pointed at the chocolate brown-haired woman.

"Miyuki-sensei? What are you doing here?" Yukari questioned. "You're friends with Mitsuru-senpai's professor?"

Skye looked just as confused herself. "Miyuki, You didn't tell me that you were a teacher," she told her friend with an annoyed look on her face. "This has become quite a small world."

"Yukari?" Mitsuru pressed the high school senior to explain.

Yukari took a deep breath and stuffed her hands into her pockets. "Miyuki-sensei applied recently for a teaching job at Gekkoukan high school. She teaches algebra and she was just recently tasked to coach the archery club and team."

Skye scowled at her childhood friend. "You never really looked like the type of person to teach, Miyuki-chan," she told her friend. "You did like math a lot and you were part of the archery team back when we were still elementary students, but I never would have guessed that you would have gone back to school to teach."

Miyuki ignored her friend and began to introduce herself and Skye. "I'm Miyuki Hyuga and as Yukari already said, I'm an Algebra teacher at Gekkoukan high school and I also coach the archery team. This here," she stuck her thumb out at the still scowling Skye. "Is Skye Sagara, a professor at Sora University who is teaching European History," she continued.

Mitsuru cleared her throat and got the attention of the group. "Perhaps it would be better if we all sat down and continued this talk while we eat and drink?" she suggested, gesturing at the host of the restaurant standing nearby to seat them at a table. She glanced at her professor and noticed that scowl was still there. Hoping that an apology would ease the scowl away, Mitsuru led the group inside the restaurant where the waiters pushed two tables together to fit their large group.

"Hey Mitsuru-senpai!" Yukari whispered to the former S.E.E.S. leader. "Skye-sensei really looks young! How old did you say she was?"

"She's twenty-four years old, Yukari," Mitsuru whispered back, watching her professor converse with her childhood friend on the other end of the table.

Akihiko leaned around Yukari. "Mitsuru what did you do?" he asked in a hushed voice. "It looks like your professor is a bit annoyed."

The redhead cheeks flushed into a shade of red almost as red as her own hair. "I... I accidentally eavesdropped on her conversation with Hyuga-san," she admitted. "She would not have found out if not for two certain people." She glared at Yukari and Junpei who sat adjacent to her.

"It wasn't our fault in the first place, Mitsuru-senpai!" Junpei hissed back. "You were the one who eavesdropped!" he pointed out then cowered at the sudden cold look that appeared on the former student council president's face.

"You just earned yourself an execution, Junpei," Mitsuru smiled sweetly at the young man, who turned pale and gulped hard.

"Hey you three!" Miyuki called from the end of the table. "Stop fighting and let's just order some food to eat." She signalled a waiter to pass out menus and waited as he took down their orders.

"Miyuki-sensei," Yukari called. "How did you meet Skye-sensei?"

Miyuki glanced at her friend and began to explain when the blue-haired woman nodded her permission. "Basically, we were childhood friends. We grew up together in the same neighbourhood back when she was still here in Japan," she explained, smiling faintly. "I was a lonely and unsociable kid back then and Skye was my first friend. Both my parents never really had time for me. It was Skye and her own parents who made me feel loved."

"Enough Miyuki," Skye said gruffly.

The dark-haired woman ignored her friend's order. "When Skye decided to move to London, she promised me that she'd come back in a few years." She glared hard at her friend. "I didn't think it would take her twelve years to come back!"

"Miyuki," Skye said darkly. "I didn't really have a choice," she told the other woman and the mixture of college, high school and elementary students. "My father insisted that I finish my education in London and I had other matters to deal with particularly my mother's family."

"What was your mother's maiden name, Sagara-sensei?" Ken asked innocently. "It sounds like your dad is a native of Japan while your mom is a European."

Skye leaned her elbows on the edge of the table and looked kindly at Ken. "My father is a native of Japan while my mother is an Italian. Her maiden name is Thierry," she explained.

"So your full name would be Skye Thierry Sagara," Ken clarified.

"That would be correct." Skye nodded her head, the scowl still on her face. Just then, her cellphone began to ring loudly. With a look of apology to her companions, she grabbed the phone and put it against her ear. "Sagara," she immediately said, waiting for a few seconds. She stood up, silently excused herself from the gathering and strode out of the restaurant to continue her cellphone conversation.

"Wonder what that was about," Junpei murmured as he ate his food. "With that kind of scowl and the way she looks at you, she may even be scarier than Mitsuru-senpai." He flinched at the cold crimson eyes staring at him. "Errmmm… I didn't say anything." He pulled the brim of his hat lower to cover his eyes.

Mitsuru looked outside and saw her professor talking heatedly into her cellphone. "Will you excuse me?" she told her companions and walked towards the door, intending to apologize to Skye personally. Pushing the door open and stepping outside, the auburn-haired girl immediately picked up pieces of Skye's conversation on the phone.

"I told you," the professor said in annoyance. "Don't bother me with that! Stop being such a nuisance!" she growled and hung up abruptly, stuffing the phone back into her pants' pocket. The blue-haired woman scowled up at the sky, her arms grudgingly crossed over her chest.

Mitsuru hesitantly approached. "Sensei," she started, looking down at her feet. "I just want to apologize about a while ago." She could feel the older woman's gaze on her. "It was rude of me to have listened in on your conversation with Miyuki-sensei." Mitsuru looked up slowly and met the serious gaze of her professor, the both of them not speaking a word.

Finally, Skye let out a sigh. "It's all right Mitsuru," she stated the redhead's name for the first time in more than a few days. "It should not be such a big deal, but I suppose I was too caught up with not being able to visit my mother's grave and my father's most recent diagnosis."

"I understand too, Skye-san," Mitsuru replied. "I probably would have felt the same if I was in your place." She stood a few feet behind the older woman and also looked up at the blue skies. "Is it true that you father refuses to go to treatment?"

"He really doesn't want to."

"The both of you don't have the financial capabilities to pay for his treatment you mean?" Mitsuru asked in clarification.

Skye nodded tersely. "Oto-san's shop is just a small and simple one. He doesn't earn much income in his line of work," she explained. "As for me, I just recently started working so I don't have that much cash on me. Besides that, oto-san refuses to have me pay for his treatment."

"What about your mother's family?" Mitsuru questioned. "Surely they would be willing to help out with your father's condition deteriorating."

"I'd rather not get them involved," Skye replied, her body stiffening. "Come on. We should go back in." She led Mitsuru back into the restaurant and they both sat on their seats once more. They all stayed at the restaurant for a good hour before Skye and Miyuki got to their feet.

"We'll be going ahead," Miyuki told the assortment of students. "I'll be accompanying Skye to her father's repair shop before I head on home." She looked at Yukari and her fellow schoolmates. "Takeba-san, I'll see you in school on Monday for archery practice."

Skye looked at down the table and smiled at the students. "Nice meeting Kirijo-san's friends," she told them. "Kirijo-san," she looked at Mitsuru seriously before breaking out in a smile. "I'll see you in class." She and her childhood friend bid the students goodbye before heading out of the restaurant.

"That was… interesting," Fuuka finally said after a few minutes of silence.

"You said it," Akihiko added, leaning back against his chair. "Mitsuru you really end up befriending the strangest people."

"Skye-san is not strange!" Mitsuru retaliated, annoyed at her friend's remark about the friends she makes and how he had judged her professor so easily.

"Woah!" Junpei put up his hands. "Getting defensive there, senpai!"

"Mitsuru-san hasn't been this flustered ever since you boys were discovered in the hot springs," Aigis spoke up, a smile appearing on her face.

Mitsuru opened her mouth to condemn her friends when she noticed the deep thoughtful look on Akihiko's face. "Akihiko it's strange to see you so deep in thought," she told her old friend. "What's on your mind."

"Hmm? Oh, I was just thinking about Sagara-san's mother's maiden name," the boxer explained.

"Thierry?" Aigis asked.

Akihiko nodded, scratching his chin with his fingertips. "The name just strikes a bell, but I just don't know where I heard or seen it before."

"Now that you mention it," Yukari began. "Thierry does sound kind of familiar, but I just can't put a finger on it."

"Can we talk about that another time?" Junpei complained. "We didn't plan to go out today just to eat and talk! I thought we were going to the amusement park."

"All right Stupei!" Yukari punched her classmate hard on the arm. "We'll go to that amusement park of yours!" They all got out of their seats and headed outside with Yukari and Mitsuru at the end of the group. "Senpai, it's getting harder not to miss you."

"Why is that?" Mitsuru asked.

" It's not fun when you're not around to manhandle the boys with your executions!"

"Yukari," Mitsuru growled menacingly as the younger girl darted away to escape her demise from the Kirijo group's heiress' hands.

* * *

_**Finally got another chapter up. It's a relatively short one unfortunately because i'm rather busy this week and the upcoming week. As of now, I still am not sure who Mitsuru will end up with. Definitely, she's not going to end up with Akihiko or any other guy. As I mentioned in the disclaimer, this story was going to be a yuri fic. I won't be able to update in a while. Exams are next week and I won't have time to continue until after i'm done with them. **_

_**Actually, I'm sinning against the readers of my other story because I've uploaded the second chapter of this story instead of continuing my strawberry panic fic. Oh well, I hope anyway that you guys have enjoyed so far. As for the future love interest of Mitsuru, please keep commenting on who you would prefer to fill in that role. Either Yukari or if you have already guessed, with her professor Skye.**_

_**ForLorneMaiden: as i mentioned earlier, this story is going to be a yuri one so i can't abide to your wish of making this one a Mitsuru x Akihiko one**_

_**Mr. Thumbsup: i'm kind of leaning towards to making it a Mitsuru x OC one, but i'm still thinking about it. there are a few more chapters to go before i actually decide who Mitsuru ends up with. i'll see what i can do with a Junpei x Yukari pairing. **_

_**Vocarin: thanks for the compliment. it's really flattering! :) the final pairing will be decided in a few chapters so i hope you keep reading. :)**_

_**Ame no Yuki: Mitsuru and Yukari seem like a good pair, but you hardly are given much to work with when you play the game so i'm still not so sure how things will turn out if i make it a Mitsuru x Yukari fic. thanks though for enjoying the first long chapter. :)**_

_**Next chapter: All is revealed, near death experience and comforting. **_


	3. Revelation

_Chapter 3: Revelation_

Mitsuru could not help but give a sigh of relief. The awkwardness between her and her European History professor seemed to have diminished since the previous Saturday. It was also obvious that the blue-haired woman was back to her usual upbeat and energetic self as she went about today's lesson. The only significantly difference with the professor was when she assigned the class to make a paper on a piece of art from the renaissance period.

"Hey now!" Skye ordered, slapping her palm against the surface of her table for attention. "This is my way of testing you unless you prefer that I give examinations," she told the class with a smile. "Just to inform you, the examinations I prefer to give both include oral and written parts so you should be grateful that I'm giving you a take-home paper to do."

The students continued to grumble as they nodded their head in agreement. "When is this paper due, sensei?" one student asked.

Skye walked to the front of her desk and sat on its edge. "I'm not a brute when it comes to papers so I'll give you two weeks," she informed her class. "Two Mondays from now, you will submit your papers to me in class. Have it ring-bound so that it looks professional." She gazed at her class for a few moments. "Is that more than enough time?"

"Yes sensei," the class chorused.

The dark blue-haired professor nodded her head with approval. "Good. Class dismissed then." She began to fix her things as the student filed out of the classroom when her cellphone began to vibrate incessantly against her thigh. Fishing out the gadget from her pants' pocket, Skye flipped the cellphone open and held it against her ear. "Sagara speaking," she spoke into the mouthpiece. "I just finished with class," she glanced around the almost empty classroom and spotted her redhead student still in the vicinity. "Yes, she's still here," she told the person on the other line. "I'll tell her then." Skye flipped her cellphone close and waved Mitsuru over.

"What is it Skye-sensei?" the redhead asked, walking towards her professor.

"I just came from talking with my father on the phone," Skye told the rather nervous looking young woman. "Father was able to finish the repairs earlier than he thought so he says that you could pick it up today if you want."

Mitsuru smiled. "I would want to pick it up, but I would have no way to ride it home in this condition," she indicated her injured shoulder.

"I told my father that, but he insists that a girl and her motorcycle shouldn't be separated for too long," Skye replied, letting out a sigh.

"What does he intend to do then?"

The older woman led Mitsuru out of the classroom and down the hallway. "He suggested," she paused and shook her head. "No, _ordered _me to ride your Ducati and convoy with your chauffeured car to your apartment. After that I'll just take a taxi back to my apartment."

The former Gekkoukan student council president shook her head hurriedly. "That would be too imposing on you, Skye-sensei!" she told the older woman. "I could just have someone pick it up tomorrow morning."

"It's all right, Mitsuru," Skye assured the girl. "Father has other motives with his decision that I ride your Ducati back to your apartment. He hasn't been able to ride motorcycles for quite some time now so he wants me to do a test run on your motorcycle." They walked onto the street where Mitsuru's car was waiting on the curb. "I'll also be able to tell if the repairs were done nicely just by riding the bike."

"Well," Mitsuru frowned. "If your father insists then I'll go with his suggestion."

Skye nodded. "You go on ahead to the shop. I have some things to do at the faculty building." With a quick wave, the professor turned and strode towards the small faculty building down the road.

"Kirijo-san?" the chauffeur called the heiress out of her thoughts. "Where shall we go?"

Mitsuru got into the car and waited for the hired man to get into the driver's seat. "Head to the Sagara Repair Shop," she ordered and further explained how to get there. She took a short nap throughout the duration of the trip and only awoke when she felt the car slow to a stop. The auburn-haired girl got out of the car, made her way inside the expansive garage and immediately spotted her gleaming sliver Ducati. Her crimson eyes shone as she stepped closer to the repaired bike and ran her hands over its cool metal surface.

"I never get bored of seeing people give their bike or car that kind of look," Akira Sagara walked up to her with a grin on his face. "It tells me that people appreciate the work I do and that they too appreciate their own bikes or cars."

Mitsuru bowed deeply to the mechanic. "I am truly grateful for your work, Sagara-san!" She straightened. "How much do I owe you?"

Akira scratched the back of his head and walked around the silver Ducati. "Well, to sum it up. Repairs were pretty expensive especially with the way you totaled your bike," he told the college student. "Not to mention that the bike you own is a Ducati so parts are hard to come by and are also quite expensive. I had to order and replace a number of parts to get it back in shape and I had to smooth out the dents and give it a new paint job," he added. "All in all, the repairs cost about 1.5 million yen but since I like how you treat and care for your motorcycles, I'll be giving you a discount." He grabbed a compact calculator from his pockets and punched in a few figures. "I'll charge you 1.2 million yen and throw in shining wax."

"You're too kind, Sagara-san!" Mitsuru protested.

"But I really insist," Akira shot back with a smile. "You remind me a lot of Skye when she was younger although she wasn't as formal and serious as you are." He chuckled as he watched the young woman blush in embarrassment. "Speaking of my daughter, I think I hear her pulling up outside right now." Just as he said, his blue-haired daughter strode into the garage with a dark look on her face. "Skye? What's wrong?"

Skye shook her head and headed to her father's desk. "It's nothing, oto-san," she replied. She drew a drawer open and shuffled through the papers inside. "I just have to deal with some pesky salesmen outside." She grabbed a sealed brown envelope and closed the drawer. "It's nothing you should worry about and it's definitely not something I can't handle." She quickly nodded a greeting to Mitsuru before striding out of the garage.

The auburn-haired college student tried not to look intrigued at what had just transpired. It was rather strange that Skye had explained that she was only going to handle some irritating salesmen. It didn't make any sense that she needed to come back inside the garage and get a brown envelope to handle that matter.

"Kirijo-san," Akira snapped her out of her thoughts. "My daughter did inform you that she would be convoying on your Ducati with you and your chauffeured car back to your apartment right?" He was making a last minute inspection of the bike.

"Yes she did," she replied, glancing outside the garage to try to spot Skye.

"Why don't you go check if she's done handling those salesmen?" Akira suggested. "You do need to get back home or attend to other business so I don't want to keep you here for too long."

Mitsuru nodded. "If you say so, Sagara-san." The young college student leisurely walked out of the garage and expected to see her professor kicking some salesmen out, but was surprised to see the dark-haired woman standing stiffly with her arms crossed over her chest and addressing two foreign men in expensive suits. From what it looked like, Skye was either dealing with rich and foreign salesmen or she had lied. It was obvious though that the older woman and the two men were in a heated debate.

"How many times must I tell you?" Skye huffed out impatiently. "I tried that kind of life and I didn't like it," she told the two men.

"But what about the future of the Thierry Corporation?" one well-dressed man demanded.

Skye shook her head. "It's not for me to take," she replied. "Give it to someone else. I am sure that my mother's brother is itching to have one of his sons take over the business." She looked at the darkening skies above. "Personally, I don't really give a damn on who inherits the company and my mother's fortune."

"Your mother would have _wanted _you to take over," the other man finally spoke up.

"If my mother wanted me to take over," Skye said ominously to the men. "She would not have left her oh-so-great life for a poor mechanic and live a simple life!" Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Don't ever assume that my mother wanted me to have the kind of life you wish to make me live! The way you and the rest of the Thierry family treated my father was enough reason for me to leave London and to not come back." The blue-haired woman glared hard at the men. "Now leave before I lose my temper!"

The men opened their mouths to protest and argue back, but they decided to back away and board their luxury car. The chosen heir of the Thierry Corporation may be a slippery and stubborn being, but they were sure that this meeting was not going to be the last of its kind.

As the suited men drove away, Skye knead her temples tiredly. "You heard everything, didn't you Mitsuru?" she suddenly said without turning around. "This is the second time that you eavesdropped on me and I'm still undecided on how to feel about it." She sighed and turned around to look at her student. "I probably owe you an explanation anyway so I'll be glad to give you one once you close the deal with my father." She walked passed Mitsuru and paused by the garage door. "Well," she said, glancing back at the auburn-haired student. "Are you coming?"

"Yes!" Mitsuru blurted out and hurried to get to her professor's side. "I apologize about eavesdropping again. This time it was really an accident," she told the older woman. "Sagara-san asked me to come get you so that you could take my motorcycle and ride it to my apartment." She and Skye walked around three cars and stepped around the tool-cluttered floor. "He said that you shouldn't keep me waiting," she added, embarrassed.

"Typical of my father," Skye muttered, looking around for the stubborn man. "Hoy! Oto-san!" she called out. "Mitsuru and I are about to leave already so we'll just take the bike!" She frowned and continued to look around for her father.

"Strange," Mitsuru let out. "I could have sworn he was just here by the bike," she told Skye. "He was giving it a last going-over when I went outside to get you."

Skye nodded. "There wouldn't be any other place for him to go in here aside from our small office, but I could already see through the windows that no one's there." They moved towards the Ducati bike and looked around some more. "Where could have he gone?" Skye asked loudly, her eyes scanning the expansive garage. As her emerald green eyes swept across the room, she caught two overall-clad legs sprawled on the floor sticking out from behind a car. "Found him. He must have decided to start repairs on that car. Oto-san, I'll be going ahead now," she told her father as she walked around the car. "Oto-san?!" Skye strode forward and dropped to her knees beside the motionless man. "Oto-san!"

"Skye-sensei! We must get Sagara-san to a hospital immediately!" Mitsuru urged her professor as she got to her knees and began to haul the unconscious man up. She and the distraught professor each took hold of a limp arm and proceeded to half drag half carry him outside the garage where Mitsuru ordered her chauffeur to bring them to the nearest hospital. The five-minute dash to the hospital was an ordeal for both the auburn-haired woman and Skye. Skye was constantly trying to wake her father while Mitsuru worried over both the man and his daughter.

Once the car skidded to a halt by the emergency ward entrance both women hopped out of the car and yelled for the hospital personnel to assist them. Mitsuru jogged along with her professor, the doctor and his assistants as they wheeled the gurney down the hall. She would have gone further when the doctor in charge told her to stay in the waiting area while they attend to Skye's father. They could not do the same to Skye though, eventually relenting and allowing her to come with them to the treatment room.

Mitsuru waited in an empty waiting room, hoping to hear about the state of her professor's father. Over an hour had passed when a nurse scurried into the room and announced that Mitsuru was allowed to go to the room assigned to the Sagaras. The auburn-haired student sedately followed the nurse through a few halls and walked into the modest room the nurse gestured at. Akira Sagara was asleep on the bed and his daughter dutifully sat by the bed and kept a watchful eye on him.

"Is he alright?"

Skye looked at her companion and nodded stiffly. "He was awake a few moments ago, but he couldn't talk," she told her student. "It happens sometimes when people get a stroke." She reached out and grabbed hold of her father's hand. "The doctor told me that if he continues to refuse treatment for his cancer, he has less than a year to live."

Mitsuru remained quiet. "Is money really the problem, Skye-sensei?"

"Stop calling me that when we're not on campus," Skye reminded tiredly. "In a literal sense, money is a problem especially with the current livelihood that my father and I have." She rubbed the back of her father's hand gently. "He's a stubborn mule and I realize that I take after him. In all honesty, oto-san could be treated easily."

"How so, Skye-san?"

"You overheard my conversation with those two men awhile ago," Skye pointed out. "Particularly the bit about my mother and the Thierry Corporation," she continued. She smiled tiredly at her student. "I suppose this will somewhat shed some light on why I've been nice to you. I am the chosen heir of multi-billion dollar monopoly involved in the development and trading of medical drugs and equipment all over the world."

"Thierry…" Mitsuru said slowly. "You're the heir of _the _Thierry Corporation?" she demanded, shock prevalent on her face. No wonder her professor's middle name struck a familiar chord among her group of friends. "The Thierry Corporation currently stands as the wealthiest corporation in the world and also leads in the stock market," Mitsuru informed, remembering her past lessons on the business world with the Kirijo group. "Not only that, the corporation monopolizes the medical industry when it comes to drugs and various medical equipment due to their superb research and development departments, limitless funding and technology," she added. "Up until ten years ago, Ilina Thierry was the favored heir of the corporation's board of directors, which included her parents. Upon her death, the next favored heir that was chosen was…" Mitsuru's eyes widened.

Skye smiled sadly. "Skye Thierry," she finished for her student, her green eyes darkening. "If I had not left London, I would have been ushered easily into the position of owner of the corporation."

"But what made you leave Skye-san?"

"I should probably start from the beginning," Skye suggested, motioning for Mitsuru to take a seat next to her. Once the younger girl was seated comfortably by her side, the professor began to narrate her life story. "You were right about my mother being the heir of the corporation's ownership, but as a young adult she realized that the rich and lavish corporate life was not for her," she explained. "As she got older, she didn't like it that she was going to end up becoming a prominent figure that would be controlled like a puppet. Despite those thoughts, oka-san didn't really have a choice. The corporation's board of directors were strict and rather controlling especially when it revolves around inheritance issues." Skye closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "That changed of course during one business trip to Japan," her eyes glittered as they opened. "She met a simple mechanic who taught her to break the chains attached to her and to live the kind of life she wished to live."

"So your mother stayed in Japan with your father?" Mitsuru asked.

Skye shook her head. "It wasn't that simple, but eventually that did happen," she explained. "She went back to London in a confused state and she could not focus on her work. During a meeting, she finally realized the wrongness of what lay in store for her in the future. She snapped and announced that she didn't want the position anymore and the board could not do anything about it. The following day, she disappeared from her home and cut of all her contacts with her family and the Thierry Corporation." The blue-haired professor tucked the blankets securely around her sleeping father. "They had no idea that their supposed heir to the corporation had gone back to Japan to secretly live with her mechanic friend. She didn't foresee that she would end up falling in love with the mechanic who turned out to be this old man here," she pointed at her father. "A year later Ilina gave birth to me and we all lived happily despite the lack of money for twelve years." Skye's face drooped. "That was until my mother was diagnosed with Leukemia. I had to live through a year watching her in pain and it haunted me every night whenever oto-san would bring me to visit her in the hospital. She was so pale and she had lost so much weight. Her face was always contorted from the pain, but whenever she'd see me she would always give me that smile of hers. When I was in school a month later, I was called to the principal's office. My father had called to say that he was going to pick me up to go to the hospital. Oka-san wasn't expected to live much longer so the doctors urged her family to be at her side," she paused, obviously deeply depressed as she talked about her mother's death. "When we got to the hospital, there were three richly dressed foreigners waiting at the lobby. Oto-san went to greet them and led us to the room of oka-san. I only realized after mother's death that those three foreigners who came were oka-san's parents and her only brother."

"I thought that your mother had cut off all her contacts with her family," Mitsuru pointed out.

"She did," Skye replied. "But in the situation of her life about to expire, she had begged oto-san to contact her family so that she could see them one last time."

Mitsuru looked at the unconscious man on the bed. "I suppose Sagara-san did not take that lightly."

"He sure didn't. He argued with oka-san that it wasn't necessary to have them come to Japan to see her, but he could not refuse her when she pleaded to him that it was her dying wish," Skye explained further. "So as oka-san lay in her bed struggling to breathe, she told her parents that she was sorry for leaving them but had no regrets. In her dying moments, she begged my grandparents and her brother to not force her daughter to join them in their family business then said her final words to her husband and daughter. She passed on soon after that." Skye grabbed a glass of water from a nearby desk and gulped down its contents. "After the funeral, oto-san and I were distraught for a few weeks. I had stopped going to school because of it and oto-san could not work. Eventually, I learned that oto-san was not only suffering because of oka-san's death, but also because of the debts he owed in order to pay for the treatment of my mother. He did not have the capability to support and care for me anymore so he approached my oka-san's family despite despising them so. He knew that they would take me in and care for me until he was capable again to support his family. So he allowed his parents-in-law to take me to London where I was bred and raised to take over the Thierry Corporation." Skye played with the empty glass in her hands. "I was brought up thinking that my father no longer cared for me and I gave in to that belief because I never received any letters or calls from him. I even scrapped my father's name and called myself Skye Thierry after my mother's maiden name," she continued. "That changed recently. Over a year ago, while I was browsing through the file cases in my grandparents' office, I came across a large and worn brown envelope that contained nearly a hundred letters addressed to me from my father. It was then that I realized my mother's family had not kept their promise to my mother. They had purposely tried to cut off my father so that they could make me the next heir of the corporation without any trouble."

Mitsuru could not help but empathize with the older woman. Skye was right when she said that Mitsuru would understand more why her professor had taken to her so easily. The two of them have very similar backgrounds. "So you left London and decided to come back here to Japan," Mitsuru clarified.

"Not without losing my temper with my grandparents and the board of directors for coming up with such a conspiracy behind my back," Skye replied. "I told them I no longer wanted to inherit ownership of the corporation and I pretty much cursed them for treating my father so badly before I gathered all my belongings and travelled to Japan." She shook her head. "I remember not knowing if my father still lived in the same house, but I still went ahead and took a cab from the airport to my father's repair shop. That was a really awkward moment when I walked into his garage and stood face to face with him. He recognized me right away and led me into his office so that I could explain what happened. So after explaining myself and apologizing, I went out and bought an apartment with what savings I had brought with me. My father wanted me to live with him, but it was easy to see that he was still experiencing hard times. I decided afterwards that I would get a job so that I could help myself and my father." Skye took in a long breath. "So that's about it that happened. As you can see, my grandparents have been trying to get me to come back to London and reconsider taking over the corporation."

"You really don't want to go back to that kind of life, Skye-san?"

The professor shook her head. "I may have been interested in it once, but I am no longer after finding out what my mother's family did behind my back." She gazed at Mitsuru seriously. "Are you happy with where you are now as the heir of the Kirijo group?"

Mitsuru thought about it for a minute. "Perhaps I may have felt like that kind of life was being forced onto me, but the reason why I decided to continue aspiring to take leadership over the Kirijo group is for a good cause."

"And that good cause would be?"

"To atone for the sins my father and his subordinates committed and to change the platform of the Kirijo group," Mitsuru replied. She couldn't exactly tell her professor what kind of sins her father and her grandfather had committed when they were still alive. Only she and her friends held that knowledge.

"And I am to believe that everything is going the way you wish it to be as heir of the Kirijo group and the Kirijo Corporation?" Skye raised her elegant eyebrows at Mitsuru.

"Well…" Mitsuru began, a frown forming on her face. "I have grand plans for the Kirijo group, but there are certain factors that tend to get in the way. Certain factors that tend to be quite unnecessary when one thinks about it," she explained.

"Marriage," Skye guessed without much thought. "It has always been one of the greatest issues when it comes to corporate inheritances among family owned businesses," she pointed out in disdain. "So what are you doing about it Mitsuru?"

Mitsuru sighed and ran a hand through her auburn hair. "They did manage to betrothed me to one of the corporation's associates, but I was able to get around it with the help of a dear friend of mine," she told the blue-haired woman. "Now, the corporation is still trying to get me to change my mind and see the advantages of marrying, but I've managed to stall them by explicitly stating that I wanted to finish college before I seriously start thinking about the future of the Kirijo Corporation."

Skye remained silent. "What will you do after you graduate then? Will you allow your family's corporation plan out your life from there?"

"No!" Mitsuru protested violently. "I would not want that, but I still have a duty I owe to society after what the Kirijo Corporation had done in the past."

"I see." Skye continued to gaze in interest at her redheaded student. "That's the difference between us then," she told Mitsuru. "Whereas I refuted becoming the heir of my mother's family business, you on the other hand still aim to lead your family's corporation because you feel duty bound." Skye shook her head and gently smiled. "I have nothing against your decision Mitsuru," she assured the young woman. "I even admire you for your resolute goal of atoning for the past sins of the Kirijo Corporation. The only thing that I worry about is that your family's associates would eventually manage to control your life."

"I understand Skye-san," Mitsuru said softly, looking down at her lap. But how else could she counter the Kirijo group's plans for her? Her hands clenched tightly into fists on her lap as she took in everything that her professor had said to her. Skye-sensei was right after all. She may be able to atone for all the mistakes her father, grandfather and their associates committed, but her eventual acceptance of leadership would still lead her to even more complicated issues in the future. The auburn-haired woman was about to excuse herself from the room due to her tension when she felt a hand gently lay itself on top of her own hands. She looked up to see the twenty-four year old woman smile at her reassuringly.

"If things start going downhill, you'll know who to look to for help," the blue-haired woman told her student. "I'll do anything in my power to help you out." The tone of her voice was several notches above serious.

"Sensei…" Mitsuru locked eyes with her professor. "Why are you so willing to help me?"

Skye shrugged and looked away. "You're just like me," she replied. "I feel that there's something that I must do for you because of that." She looked at her wristwatch and frowned. "It's getting late Mitsuru. Perhaps it would be for the best that you go on ahead. For now, I'll take your Ducati bike from oto-san's shop and keep it in my apartment since he won't be able to work in his shop for a while."

Mitsuru got to her feet and bowed deeply to her professor. "Thank you, Skye-san." She turned to the door and was about to step outside when her professor called out her name.

"Mitsuru," Skye twisted around in her seat to look at her student. "From now on, drop the honorifics. Just call me Skye, but you could stick to attaching sensei when we're in school campus."

"All right… Skye," Mitsuru answered, bowing once more and taking her leave.

* * *

It was past dinner by the time Mitsuru arrived back at her apartment. It was a rather eventful day for her and everything that had happened in the recent hours had gotten her thinking deeply. Skye Sagara's revelation that she was _the _Skye Thierry frequently talked about in the corporate world. After their long conversation, Mitsuru felt that she understood her professor even better than before. Walking into her elaborately furnished room, the auburn-haired woman fell against her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She was just about to sit up and get changed for the night when her cellphone started ringing loudly. With a loud sigh, she fumbled around for her cellphone and settled it against her ear. "Kirijo speaking," she greeted.

"_Mitsuru-senpai!"_

Mitsuru flinched and pulled the phone away from her ear. "Yukari!" she let out, placing the phone back against her ear. "You don't need to shout like that! What is it? Is there something wrong?" she asked her young friend.

"_Senpai! You have to come quickly!" _Yukari's voice was a combination of excited, worried and nervous. _"You won't believe it, but he's awake!"_

"Calm down Yukari!" Mitsuru ordered, feeling intrigued. "Who's awake? Just explain yourself!"

"_Minato… Minato is awake!"_

* * *

_**I know I know… it's been a few weeks already since I last uploaded a chapter. I just finished school last week and I needed to give myself a break before I started to write again. Anyway, I have a month of vacation before I go back to school so hopefully that will be enough time for me to post more chapters for this story.**_

_**Quite a few of you have requested that Mitsuru would end up with Yukari and well… I'll be honest. I'm having a hard time visualizing and coming up with a story line revolving around Mitsuru and Yukari. So as of now, I'm still leaning towards making this a Mitsuru x OC story. I'm developing **_

_**the character of Skye so that she could eventually (and hopefully) become a good match for Mitsuru. I ask the readers to be patient with me and to give me a chance. **_

_**Next chapter: Awake from a long slumber, confession and hurt feelings.**_


	4. Confession

_Chapter 4: Confession_

Mitsuru broke out in a cold sweat, her hand gripping her cellphone tightly. _Minato? Awake?_ The auburn-haired girl struggled to say something, but couldn't because of the painful tightness in her throat. It had been almost six months since they had all witnessed their blue-haired and gray-eyed friend fall into a seemingly endless coma, but now he was miraculously awake. For a moment, Mitsuru felt old feelings for Minato stir within her, but it was immediately replaced by intrigue and concern. Sure, it was good news that he was awake, but she couldn't shake off the feeling that he may be awake for a variety of reasons… many of them with negative inclinations.

"_Senpai?" _Yukari's voice snapped Mitsuru out of her thoughts. _"Are you alright?"_

Mitsuru shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts. "I apologize, Yukari," she told her friend. "I was caught up in surprise upon hearing your news." She sounded so formal again as she got a hold of her emotions. "He truly is awake?"

"_Yes senpai," _Yukari replied. _"Junpei and I were visiting at our old dormitory and catching up in the lobby when some sort of alarm started beeping on Aigis' wrist-device or some high-tech watch," _she explained. "_Apparently Aigis hooked up some sort of alarm device to Minato just in case there was a sudden change in his condition. In this case, he had woken up so we all rushed to his room."_ Aigis' voice sounded in the background. _"Senpai, it looks like Minato went back to sleep so you should come here tomorrow after your class to check on him."_

Mitsuru let out a sigh. She had wanted to come over so that she could truly see with her own eyes that Minato was awake, but she knew it would have been useless since he had fallen asleep. "I'll try my best to come over for a visit after my class tomorrow," she promised Yukari. _I do have a lot of work to do, but I really should go to check on him. _

"_Alright…" _Yukari said over the phone, pausing for a few seconds. _"Senpai…"_

"What is it Yukari?" Mitsuru asked, masking her sudden worry for her dear friend. There was something off in Yukari's voice.

Yukari laughed rather forcibly. _"Nothing senpai! It's nothing! I hope to see you tomorrow then!"_

"Yukari-" Mitsuru tried to talk more to the younger girl, but couldn't because she suddenly hung up. The auburn-haired woman brought the phone away from her ear and stared at it. "There's definitely something wrong with her," she mumbled to herself. "Looks like I'll really have to go visit tomorrow so that I could find out what's wrong with Yukari." She made a move to set her cellphone down on her desk when it began to ring once again. "Kirijo speaking," Mitsuru greeted after putting the phone against her ear.

A familiar deep female's voice sounded on the other line. _"Mitsuru,"_ the woman greeted. _"I just wanted to inform you that I already brought your Ducati to my apartment."_

Mitsuru smiled upon realizing that it was her European History professor. "Good evening Skye," she greeted. "How is Sagara-san?" She knew that the young professor's father would be kept in the hospital for a few days.

"_Oto-san is doing alright,"_ Skye replied, relief evident in her tired voice. _"Look… I just wanted to thank you for… what you did for oto-san and me earlier. If it weren't for your quick thinking… the situation would not be like this."_

"It wasn't a problem at all," Mitsuru replied, feeling quite happy that her professor was grateful to her. "I'm just glad that Sagara-san is alright."

"_I truly am grateful," _Skye reiterated. _"Now about your Ducati bike,"_ she changed the subject. _"Perhaps you could just pass by for it after class one day, but since you still can't ride I'll obviously just convoy with you. Sound good?" _

Mitsuru nodded and sat down on the edge of her bed. "That would be fine. Perhaps the day after tomorrow?" she suggested, remembering that she was due for a visit at her old dormitory.

"_Great! I'll see you then, Mitsuru!" _Skye told the student. _"By the way, I know I'm not supposed to be leaking this out especially since I'm your professor…" _she began, sounding hesitant. _"I was planning to give a graded recitation tomorrow since quite a few of your classmates are starting to slack off. Don't worry though," _she assured Mitsuru._ "You're not part of that particular group." _

The auburn-haired college freshman couldn't help but grin. "I'll be sure to remember that, Skye-sensei," she replied in amusement. In a way, she already knew her professor's favorite student was. Not that she was being smug about it or anything similar to that.

"_It's getting late. I don't want to keep you up for too long so I'll just see you tomorrow in class." _The unconventional professor kept her goodbye short and hung up afterwards, leaving her auburn-haired student alone to continue contemplating Minato's awakening and Yukari's strange behavior.

* * *

Just as Skye had said in their recent conversation, there was indeed a graded recitation during her class. Much to Mitsuru's relief and amusement, she wasn't called at all to answer one of the variety of questions asked by the young professor. Her other classmates weren't as lucky as she was though. More than half of those students called to recite could not answer thus inciting the quiet wrath of the dark blue-haired woman.

Near the end of the class, only around ten students were safe either due to being able to answer the question posed to them or not being called at all. There was a smile on Skye's face as she looked on at her class. Most of the students knew the smile was a forced one and that their professor was probably feeling something obviously contrary to the look on her face.

"I could see that many of you are abusing my kindness," Skye mused. "Don't think that this is a sure to pass subject just because I'm what many call an easy professor. I give good grades to those who deserve them," she told everyone. "To the chosen few who were able to answer my questions, I'd like to congratulate you."

"Sensei," one student raised her hand, obviously unnerved by their professor. "How about those who weren't called?" Of course, she would be worried. She was one of those students who weren't called.

Skye nodded her head. "Those students are the ones I congratulate all the more." The class gave her a dubious look. "Based on their performance, which I would like to describe as outstanding, they don't need to prove to me that they are truly taking this class seriously." The school bell started to toll. "That is why I decided that those students who were able to answer my questions and the others who weren't called at all will be exempted from making the final paper." When the victimized students reacted loudly and began to complain, Skye unleashed such a fierce scowl that even Mitsuru shuddered at. "Alright then if that's how all of you feel, the due date of your paper is due by the end of this week. Any more complaints?" The class was silent, not wanting to further incense their professor. "Good. Class dismissed."

Mitsuru held a stony face as her class left the room in a fast-moving herd. It was definitely going to mean trouble for her and the minority of her class who were exempted from Skye Sagara's wrath. Already she could hear the angry muttering of several students from outside the hallway. One thing she didn't like to handle were students who bore grudges that would last for so long.

"Surprised?"

Mitsuru turned around to face Skye. "Quite," she replied. "People were right when they said that it's usually the nicest and most unexpected people that you should be cautious to not anger." She looked up at the taller woman with admiration. "You're definitely one of those people."

Skye laughed heartily. "I would like to think that every person's patience has its limits and that no one likes their kindness and generosity abused." She casually fingered the piercings on her ear. "Wouldn't you agree with me, Mitsuru?"

"Definitely Skye-sensei," Mitsuru replied.

Skye nodded her head in approval. "Tomorrow then?"

"Yes," the freshman student replied, knowing that what Skye meant was picking up her Ducati bike. "Perhaps it would be easier for you to hitch a ride with me going to your apartment when we pick up the bike? It wouldn't be such a hassle for you that way."

"Only if it doesn't trouble you, Mitsuru," Skye stated, gathering her things and stuffing them into her messenger bag.

Mitsuru shook her head. "It wouldn't be any trouble at all, Skye-sensei." The both of them walked into the almost empty hallway and made their way out of the building. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Skye-sensei!" She waved at her professor as the woman walked down the road towards the faculty building. "To my old dormitory," she directed her chauffeur when she settled herself in the backseat of her car. Throughout the ride, Mitsuru couldn't shake off the feeling of uneasiness. In just a few moments, she was going to meet once more with Minato. The months that he had been unconscious seemed like years to Mitsuru. Besides that, she felt rather awkward especially since he had developed intimate relationships among the girls in their group of friends.

"Kirijo-san?" The chauffeur twisted around in his seat to regard his employer. "We've arrived," he reported, looking a bit worried for the heiress.

"Hmmm?" Mitsuru snapped out of her thoughts, looking outside the window to realize that they were indeed at the doorstep of her old dormitory. She looked at her chauffeur and thanked him before stepping out of the vehicle. Heading tentatively up the steps and resting a shaky hand on the familiar front door, Mitsuru took a deep breath before pushing it open and heading inside. She was greeted cheerfully by Junpei and Fuuka while Yukari simply smiled at her from behind her two classmates.

"Akihiko-senpai is on his way," Junpei informed after their exchange of greetings was finished. "Ken-kun was here earlier, but he had to leave right after visiting Minato." He rubbed the back of his head and grinned. "Man! I can't help but be this happy because Minato's awake!"

Aigis walked down the stairs to meet with the newly arrived guests. "Why don't you all head upstairs? I will wait here for Akihiko-san."

Junpei and Fuuka led the group upstairs and down the hallway where Minato's room was located. Aigis had told them that all the medical equipment was taken downstairs to the basement so that Minato could have the former ambiance of his room. Mitsuru brought up the rear, already feeling that Yukari who was trailing behind her two classmates was avoiding her.

"You guys ready?" Junpei asked, all of them standing outside of Minato's door. Seeing everyone nod their heads, Junpei nodded back, knocked on the door and pushed the door open.

They were all greeted by those familiar somber gray eyes. The young blue-haired man was propped up against the headboard of his bed, his hair tussled and a kind smile on his face. "Hey," he greeted casually.

"Hey yourself," Junpei greeted back, grinning from ear to ear. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, buddy!" The boisterous Gekkoukan senior strode forward, grabbed Minato and proceeded to roughly tousle his friend's hair.

Minato laughed and tried to struggle out of Junpei's hold. "That's enough!" He grinned up at Junpei. "Have pity on the guy who just woke up from half a year's sleep." Once Junpei had let go of him, Minato eyed his other friends who stood in the open space of his room.

Fuuka came forward and briefly hugged the bedded man. "How are you feeling?"

"Weak but nevertheless I'm fine," he replied, returning the hug. "Hey you two," he called out to his remaining friends who still held back. "Aren't you going to come closer?" Minato smiled kindly at Mitsuru and Yukari.

Finally, Mitsuru stepped forward. She bent over and gave the younger boy a brief hug. "It's good to get to talk to you like this again," she told him. "It was getting tiring for us to talk to you during our visits when you were still unconscious." She pulled back and felt Minato take her hands, giving them a gentle squeeze. Mitsuru looked back and motioned for Yukari to come over. "Yukari you should greet Minato."

When Yukari went to give Minato a hug, she gave Mitsuru a wide berth. That just made Mitsuru all the more sure that her friend was definitely acting strangely around her. "We missed you, Minato," Yukari told their friend. She was getting a bit teary-eyed. It was reasonable why she was reacting that way. Yukari and Minato were the first to become friends when the latter had moved into their dormitory and joined S.E.E.S.

"Hoy," Minato started, reaching up to wipe away the tears that leaked out of Yukari's soft-brown eyes. "There's no reason for you to cry." He was feeling a bit distressed that one of his closest friends was crying. Minato didn't particularly enjoy it when it was Yukari who'd be depressed.

"I-I'm alright," Yukari told them, hurriedly wiping her tears and stepping away from the bed.

Mitsuru cleared her throat. Now was the time to get to the bottom of things. "Minato, why are you awake? We all thought that in exchange for humanity's life, you had to sacrifice your soul to keep Nyx from bringing about the destruction of the world."

Minato let out a long sigh. "It's rather complicated, but I'll just put it simply." He looked at each of his friends seriously. "You see-"

"Sorry I'm late!" Akihiko burst through the door. "Minato! Looking good!" He grinned at the young man who returned it with a smile. "What?" Akihiko wondered aloud, seeing that his friends were all frowning at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

The former student council president coughed and narrowed her eyes at the boxer. "Minato was just about to tell us why he was released from his supposedly eternal slumber," she informed Akihiko. "Until you barged in of course," she added, a smirk forming on her face.

"Oh." Akihiko bowed his head in apology and nodded to Minato to continue his explanation.

"As I was saying," Minato began once more. "You all remember that I was a different kind of persona user. More specifically, I was the only one who could summon and use several personas whereas the normal persona user may only use one." He drew the blanket away from his body and swung his legs to the side of his bed. "I was gifted with this unique ability, but of course I didn't immediately have the power of the numerous persona I eventually amassed throughout our time together," he continued. "I actually had some help. Back in Tartarus, there was the hidden room that could only be seen and accessed by me. A man by the name of Igor and his assistant Elizabeth resided there and aided me to develop and create other persona for me to use." He shook his head ruefully. "I know it's hard for you to believe in, but you must take my word for it because I would have never been able to defeat Nyx without their help," he told his doubtful friends. "Anyway, Igor brought my slumbering soul to his new abode since Tartarus was destroyed. He made a deal with me seeing that everyone including him owed their lives to me after sacrificing my soul as a prison for Nyx. He said he could detain Nyx for around 58 years, which would allow me to go back to the living world continue my life."

"What happens after the 58 years are up?" Junpei asked.

Minato crossed his arms over his chest. "Then I go back to an eternal slumber as the seal of Nyx," he said grimly. "But hey 58 years is an awfully long time and by then I truly believe I would have lived a life with no regrets." The blue-haired young man smiled at his friends. "So let's forget about the time limit set on me and help me live my life properly."

"Minato's right," Aigis spoke up. She had entered the room unnoticed while the rest of the group listened to Minato's explanation. "We shouldn't dwell on the fact that Minato will eventually have to go back to his role of containing Nyx. Instead we should all be happy that we could live our lives with Minato in them."

Junpei nodded his head. "Definitely true," he agreed. "Of course, Minato has a lot of catching up to do since he's been out for the last six months. For starters, can he go back to school? It's been a little over a month since the school year started."

"It probably wouldn't be a problem to get Minato started in senior year along with us," Yukari pointed out. "The school administration was informed that Minato would not be going back to school since he was in a coma. Minato was also an excellent student so I have a feeling the school officials will allow him to come back provided that he gets extra work to make up for his month's absence."

Junpei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "You know what? I think you're right about that!" he exclaimed. "What do you think Minato? You up for going back to school?"

"I don't see a problem," Minato replied, smiling at his three year mates. "I would definitely want to go back to school and be with you guys again." He then focused his attention on the upperclassmen. "Although Akihiko-senpai and Mitsuru-senpai are both in college now, right?" he asked, getting a nod from Mitsuru first before Akihiko stepped forward to explain their college lives.

Mitsuru allowed Akihiko to do all the explanations. Unlike the rest of her friends, she had another motive for coming for this visit. Turning around to address Yukari, she was surprised to find that the younger girl had disappeared. "Junpei," Mitsuru called, motioning the young man towards her. "Have you seen Yukari?"

"She just left the room a minute ago saying that she had homework and chores to do," Junpei replied, raising his eyebrows at the auburn-haired college student. "Did you want to talk to her senpai?"

"Yes," she replied, simultaneously nodding her head. "Unfortunately, it seems I won't be able to do that now since she made her sudden exit." There was a deep frown on her face, one that Junpei noticed and worried about.

"Is something wrong, Mitsuru-senpai?" Junpei inquired. "Does this have something to do with the…" he paused to think of the appropriate word. "Aloofness?" he finished. "She has been acting strangely since last night."

"You noticed it too? I'd like to find out what's been bothering her," Mitsuru confided in the young man. "Usually she'd tell me if she was having problems or she was in some sort of trouble since we've become quite close during the latter half of our work in S.E.E.S." She let out a sigh and flipped her long auburn hair over her shoulder, which flowed straight down from the roots and became wavy towards the tips of her hair. "I can't help but feel worried and I really must get to talk to her."

Junpei nodded his head in agreement to Mitsuru's plan. "Why don't you come see her in Gekkoukan tomorrow?" he suggested. "The student council has an important meeting tomorrow after school and it will most probably take around two to three hours for us by the time we finish."

Mitsuru opened her mouth to tell Junpei that she would be unable to go because she had class, but closed it instead. She remembered that Skye had told the class that she would be giving tomorrow's meeting as a free cut so that her classmates would have more than enough time to finish their final papers. That would have definitely given her enough time to travel to the school and get the chance to talk to Yukari, but she had another problem. She had told Skye that she would be picking up her Ducati bike from her apartment. So what was more important to her? Mitsuru gazed back seriously at Junpei, ignoring the weird look he was giving her. "I'll drop by tomorrow at Gekkoukan so that I could talk to Yukari. It'll give me reason too to check on Minato if he was able to enroll late. If he does have problems, I could fix that since it was the Kirijo group who built the school."

"Alright then, senpai," Junpei replied, fixing his cap. "I'll be sure to keep this a secret from Yuka-tan so that she won't suddenly run off. Besides," he added. "The best person to get to the bottom of this is you, Mitsuru-senpai." He smiled looking his part to be the ever so trusting underclassman who looked up to his senpai.

"Just make sure she doesn't leave the school before I get there," she reminded Junpei who nodded vigorously at her. "I'll get there at around four in the afternoon." Mitsuru looked at her watch and thought it was about time for her to take her leave. She began to call out her goodbyes starting with Junpei and Fuuka and ending with Minato. "You take care of yourself," she told the blue-haired man. "It'll take you a while to get back to your former strength."

"No need to worry, Mitsuru-senpai," Minato replied. "You take care of yourself too." With that, he and his remaining friends waved goodbye to the former student council president of Gekkoukan as she stepped out of the room.

Mitsuru strode out of dormitory confidently, waving to her chauffeur who leaned against the parked car several yards away from the building. Her mask of confidence was flawless, but inside she was in turmoil over how Yukari was acting. "Back to my apartment please," she ordered her chauffeur, making herself comfortable in the backseat of the car. As the car lurched forward, Mitsuru took hold of her cellphone, scrolled down her contacts list and proceeded to call her professor.

"_Sagara speaking,"_ Skye's voice spoke from the other line.

"Sensei-" Mitsuru began.

"_Mitsuru…"_ the professor interrupted with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. _"How many times do I have to tell you that you should call me by my real name without the honorifics?" _A sound resembling that of a grumble followed the short lecture. _"I would have thought that you would have gotten the point already."_

Mitsuru controlled her laughter but let a smile lit on her face. "Sorry Skye," she apologized. "It just slipped mind and I do tend to attach the honorifics to your name more since we're usually together in class and not outside the campus."

"_Well Skye-san is fine I guess, but that's how far it goes." _The professor let out a throaty chuckle. _"Anyway Mitsuru, what made you call me all of a sudden?" _

It took her a few minutes to explain the next day's change of plans. "Basically, I need to reschedule picking up my bike," she summarized after explaining everything worth explaining. "Would it be alright if I pick it up sometime early next week?"

"_It wouldn't be a problem at all Mitsuru," _Skye replied. _"Pick it up anytime. You just have to send me a text message or tell me after class. Since I won't be seeing you tomorrow or Friday after that, I'll be seeing you next week then." _She hung up shortly after that.

* * *

It was a bit awkward for Mitsuru to step into the halls of Gekkoukan High School once again. After all, it had been half a year since she was last seen in the school. Right after her last class for the day, which ended at three in the afternoon, she immediately had her chauffeur drive her to her former high school. She had just stepped foot onto the stone-paved ground beyond the gate when Mitsuru suddenly felt nostalgic. It felt just like yesterday when she would go to class in her usual long sleeved pleated blouse with a wide crimson red ribbon tied around the blouse's collar, black skirt with a white leather belt falling loosely around her hips, and black calf boots. Her attire contributed a lot to her very formal personality when she was still a student in this school.

Mitsuru shook her head. _Stop being nostalgic! I came here for a reason and I shouldn't get distracted!_ Taking in a deep breath and releasing it, the auburn-haired student confidently walked up the path towards the familiar school building. School had obviously just ended as a flood of students burst through the doors, some of them almost tripping when they saw the familiar face walking up the short flight of stairs and through the doors.

"Hoy!" one student called to his friend. "Isn't that Kirijo-san?"

"It sure is! She looks as beautiful as ever!"

It was a shock to them to see the ever so famous and popular Mitsuru Kirijo dressed in dark fit slacks and a simple but sophisticated-looking blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Earlier when she was still in class, her blouse had been neatly tucked into her slacks. When she got out of the car upon arriving at the high school, she had opted to pull it out and let the dress shirt hang loosely over her slacks. Mitsuru didn't mind that it didn't look appropriate, but her disheveled look made her look a bit manly.

"Idiot! Don't say that too loud!"

The students continued to whisper at each other as Mitsuru calmly walked up the stairs to the second floor and down the hallway where the second year classrooms and the student council room are. Just as she expected, more students were hanging around in the hallway who turned their heads to regard the stranger dressed in civilian attire. Mitsuru sighed inwardly. She was going to be getting this kind of reaction throughout her stay in the high school. Walking to the closed door where the student council members would meet, Mitsuru firmly knocked on the sliding door.

"Come in!" A young man's familiar voice called from inside.

Mitsuru slid the door open and was greeted cheerfully by Junpei and Fuuka while two unknown students struggled to their feet and stammered out greetings for the former student council president and valedictorian of Gekkoukan High. "Junpei. Fuuka," she greeted with a smile, allowing the latter to usher her into the room. As she stood by the table, Junpei closed the door to stop the curious students from looking in on them.

"We were just about to start the meeting but Yuka-tan hasn't arrived yet," Junpei told Mitsuru. "I had one of our aides look for her and to report back to me where she is located." He pulled out a chair and offered for Mitsuru to make herself comfortable.

"I see," Mitsuru mused, shaking her head to take a seat. "Has she still been acting strangely?"

Fuuka nodded her head. "Her absence right now from this meeting pretty much states that she's still acting strangely. Usually she takes her job seriously and is rarely late."

"But then again, Yuka-tan has archery club practice today right?" Junpei asked.

"She informed me this morning that she wouldn't be late because practice was cancelled," Fuuka pointed out. "She must be somewhere else then."

Just then, a female student walked into the room and walked to Junpei, obviously meaning to tell him something. After the girl left the room, Junpei pushed himself away from the wall and fixed his hat on his head. "Yuka-tan is on the roof," he informed Mitsuru. "According to our aide, she isn't exactly doing anything up there so why don't you head on up and talk? We could start the meeting without Yukari for now."

"Thank you Junpei," Mitsuru told the still boisterous young man. With that done, Mitsuru walked out of the room. She took her time dodging through the students in the hallways and the stairs as she made her way up to the roof. Finally, she was alone as she trudged up the past flight of stairs towards the roof access door. "I hope you're hear Yukari," she whispered to herself, placing a hand against the door and pushing it open.

Sunlight momentarily blinded Mitsuru as she stepped out onto the roof. She blinked a few times to clear her sight and began to look around for a certain honey brown-haired girl. After walking away from the door, Mitsuru easily spotted her closest friend. As usual, Yukari was wearing a short skirt, a blouse, a pink cardigan put over it and the red ribbon tied around her collar. Instead of finding one of her endless supply of smiles on her face, Mitsuru noted that her dear friend seemed down as she leaned back against the steel grates that enclosed the roof.

"I thought I'd find you here," Mitsuru began, stepping towards Yukari whose head jerked up at the sudden company. "Well, perhaps I would have eventually chanced upon this place if Junpei had not told me first that you were here." Despite her friendly and casual approach, Yukari did not respond. The younger girl bowed her head and could not look at Mitsuru straight in the eyes. "Yukari…" Mitsuru sighed. "Please tell me what's been bothering you. I am getting more worried as each day passes knowing that you are acting like this."

Yukari shook her head, still not meeting the worried gaze of her friend. "It's nothing to worry about," she told Mitsuru. "It's nothing that _you _should worry about." She spun around to gaze through the steel grates at the sky.

Mitsuru was surprised. It seemed like ages ago since Yukari had distanced herself purposely from Mitsuru. "Yukari," she gently called out her friend's name, walking closer. "I have every right to worry about you. I care for you so please, just tell me what's been bothering you," she pleaded, hoping that Yukari would give in. "I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Yukari's head slightly perked up before slowly turning around to face her senpai. Her hazel eyes bore deeply into Mitsuru crimson orbs. "Senpai," she started. "Do you remember when I went to fetch you?"

Mitsuru raised two elegant eyebrows in question. "What do you mean?" She crossed her arms over her chest and stood her ground barely a few feet away from the high school senior.

"This was your favorite place," Yukari continued, gesturing at the rooftop. "Whenever you'd go missing and shirk your student council duties." She looked up at the skies. "It was prior to the school trip last year. Odagiri-san had asked me to look for you because the meeting regarding the trip could not progress without you there."

"Ah yes… I remember now." How could she not remember? It was one of those moments when Mitsuru was feeling so down and alone. But then Yukari had come and tried to cheer her up. Then there was also something else that her friend had wanted to say, but she couldn't because Ryoji had arrived at the scene. "What does that have to do with your strange behavior?"

Yukari rubbed her arms nervously. "Before we became closer friends, I had wanted to use that time to get closer to you," she admitted to Mitsuru. "Back then, I always thought that there was some sort of vague connection between us. I was lonely and had a broken relationship with my mother. You on the other hand were also lonely, but you hid it well beneath a mask of respect, popularity and intelligence."

"Yukari?" Mitsuru was getting confused. Why was her friend saying these things to her?

"I felt that I could help you deal with your bouts of loneliness and at the same time you would also be able to help me deal with my own loneliness." Yukari laughed weakly. "I thought that it was a sound plan, but then Ryoji showed up and there was no other time for me to get closer to you except when Ikutsuki killed your father. We were just naturally drawn together during your time of need."

Mitsuru stayed silent. She was trying hard to comprehend what was truly happening, but could not. Everything that Yukari had mentioned was true, but she still could not tell where Yukari was getting to with their conversation.

The hazel-eyed girl looked down to the ground. "When Minato woke up, it got me thinking about the past. I thought that I was just approaching you that day on this very roof to offer you friendship," she explained, a small smile showing on her face. "But now, I think I was meant to do something else…"

Mitsuru shook her head, still not fully understanding the situation. "Yukari just tell me what you want to say and I'll do anything to help you out of whatever predicament you're in!" She was starting to feel a little bit impatient and frustrated with how her friend was beating around the bush.

"Senpai," Yukari gazed seriously at the taller and older woman before her. "Please answer this question!" It looked like she had already made up her mind and was going to tell Mitsuru everything.

"Sure Yukari."

The honey brown-haired girl scuffed her shod foot on the concrete floor. "Would you still look at me in the same way even if I was…_ different_?"

Mitsuru let out an exasperated sigh. "Yukari… You're not making any sense!"

"Just answer senpai!"

"Why would I care if you were different, Yukari?" Mitsuru replied. "All that matters is that you're important to me and that I care for-" She couldn't finish her sentence because Yukari's smaller form barreled into her body, her arms wrapping tightly around her. Before Mitsuru could open her mouth to ask what had gotten into Yukari, the younger girl gently rested her shaking hands on Mitsuru's cheeks, stood on her tiptoes and planted a hesitant kiss on the older girl's lush and full lips.

_Oh my…_ Mitsuru could feel herself becoming faint, commanding her putty legs to keep her on her feet. _This is… truly a surprise._

* * *

_**So I took the advice of some of my readers. For now, I've made this story be a Mitsuru x Yukari one, but it may not stay that way as the story progresses. I'm still having difficulty visualizing and coming up with a plot revolving around these two young women. This may evolve to possibly have a love triangle (Skye/Mitsuru/Yukari) or even a love square (with Minato or perhaps another male character in the aforementioned pairing/s. Anyway, I'm open to opinions and suggestions so just state them in your reviews.**_

_**Mr. Thumbsup: Well, I did have to put a twist in it so I decided to have Minato come back. It gives me more to work with as I continue making this story. **_

_**Chibi Tetra: I find it amusing that you told me to go ahead and do what I want with the pairings, but still heavily imply that you want it to be a Mitsuru x Yukari fic. Hehe. I don't mean anything bad against you at all by the way. As you read, there will be Mitsuru x Yukari parts in this story… at least for a little while until I exhaust all my ideas about the two of them.**_

_**Roxius: Your dog is named Skye? Hmmm… well that's certainly interesting! Haha! Anyway, yes I can empathize with your excitement with this story revolving around a shoujo-ai relationship. :) Part of the reason why I decided to make one was because you could hardly find one on the internet. **_

_**Next chapter: getting to used to the relationship, betrayal and misunderstanding, confiding in a friend and patching things up.**_


	5. Misunderstanding

_Chapter 5: Misunderstanding_

Mitsuru could almost feel her knees were just about to buckle. Her arms were slack at her sides and her confused crimson eyes were wide open as Yukari continued to press her lips against hers. _This can't be happening… can it? _The auburn-haired college student's thoughts wandered aimlessly in her head as her whole awareness was completely focused on the timid kiss. _Yukari? Kissing me? I never would have thought that things would go this way between us. _She didn't react when Yukari's smooth hands wove through her long and wavy hair, one hand settling on the back of her neck and the other skimming down her spine. _She teased me when we went out together before I crashed my bike,_ Mitsuru thought. _She claimed that I might be inclined to like girls since I wasn't showing any interest in boys. Was she already testing at that time if I was open to such a relationship? A relationship with her? _Mitsuru's body unconsciously stiffened.

Yukari pulled away abruptly upon feeling her senpai stiffen from her touch. There was a dejected look on her face, obviously misinterpreting the reaction of her friend. A fierce blush roved her cheeks as the younger girl looked down at her feet. She couldn't meet the confused and questioning eyes of Mitsuru for fear of being rejected.

"Yo!" Junpei yelled from the roof top access door. "Yuka-tan! We need your presence in the meeting." The young man with the goatee walked forward and spotted his classmate and Mitsuru standing face to face a foot away from each other. "You feeling alright, Yuka-tan?" He tilted his head to the side and looked quizzically at her.

"I'm fine Junpei," Yukari replied, her voice sounding a little bit shaky. "You said you needed me for the meeting?" She stepped further away from Mitsuru.

"Yeah. That is if you're done talking with Mitsuru-senpai."

Yukari nodded her head. "Yes we're done." She still couldn't look at her senpai.

"Well… I'll meet you downstairs in the council room then," Junpei told Yukari. He waved to Mitsuru before heading back inside.

Once Junpei had gone back down, Yukari immediately began to make her way to the door. She wanted to get away as quickly as possible to save some face after what she had just done. It was bad enough that Mitsuru had rejected her. Yukari had just walked past Mitsuru when she felt a hand wrap around her forearm and grip her tightly. "Let go of me, senpai," Yukari whispered, still not meeting the eyes of Mitsuru.

"We're not done talking yet, Yukari," Mitsuru told her friend with utmost seriousness. They stood like that for a few moments; Mitsuru holding on to her friend's arm with Yukari's back to her. There were a few times when Yukari would try to break free from Mitsuru's hold, but couldn't because her senpai would just tighten her grip around her arm. Finally, the high school senior slowly turned around, but continued to avoid Mitsuru's eyes. "Have… you always felt this way about me?"

Yukari nodded her head. "Ever since we talked on this roof," she admitted.

"Why only now?"

"I was afraid," Yukari replied, hugging herself as the wind swept across the roof. "We were two completely different people and I knew that it would never be acceptable for someone like you to be involved in such a forbidden kind of relationship," she explained sadly. "I didn't make a move on you because of that. Besides," she finally looked up and gazed back at those crimson orbs. "You admitted that you weren't interested in…" She couldn't finish, her heart feeling heavier as each moment passed.

Mitsuru sighed inwardly. Today was definitely one of those rare occasions when she felt utterly confused. Honestly, she had little to no idea on how to handle her current situation. However, looking at Yukari's dejected look, it made Mitsuru think deeply. Perhaps it was expected that a person of such stature like her would never be thought of having a relationship with a girl, but Mitsuru had always somehow felt that there was something special between her and Yukari. There would have been a gaping hole in her character if not for the younger girl. Closing her eyes and coming to a decision, Mitsuru brought up her hand and gently gripped Yukari's chin and urged her to look back at her. "What is that you want, Yukari?"

"Senpai…" Yukari looked reluctant to answer.

"_Tell me_, Yukari," Mitsuru pressed. She had to know the truth before she followed through with her decision.

The brown-haired girl's cheeks flushed as her lips quivered from her nervousness. "I-I want…" she began, her voice shaking. "I want to be with you, Mitsuru-senpai," she continued, tightly clasping her hands together in front of her.

Mitsuru remained silent as she took in what Yukari had just told her. "Is that what you really want, Yukari?" she asked, her voice still serious.

Yukari nodded then looked up to repeat what she had just said and further explain herself. "Senpai… I," she began but could not go further because Mitsuru had placed one elegant finger against her lips, effectively silencing her. Mitsuru's other hand rested against the small of her back and Yukari felt her body be pulled forward. Yukari's hazel eyes widened in surprise as her hand went up to push against Mitsuru's shoulder, which instead was caught by her senpai's hand, the one originally silencing her. Before Yukari could voice out her protest, she suddenly felt something soft and velvety press against her lips. _Mitsuru-senpai… she's… kissing me?_ Yukari's wide eyes slowly closed as she fell limply into the embrace of the auburn-haired college student. After what seemed like hours of staying in a locked embrace, Yukari felt her senpai withdraw slowly.

Mitsuru gazed gently at Yukari who looked at her with a mixture of awe and surprise. _She doesn't realize that she's crying, _Mitsuru thought to herself as she reached out with her fingers and wiped away Yukari's tears. "Was that what you wanted, Yukari?" she asked softly.

"Senpai… I thought-" the senior's voice quavering.

Mitsuru pulled the younger girl into a tight embrace and shook her head. "Why would you think that? Yukari, just simply asking me if it was alright would have been fine." She pulled back slightly to regard the high school senior. "Perhaps I wasn't at all interested in girls back then, but if it was going to be you," she started, smiling genuinely at Yukari. "I wouldn't have minded at all."

"Senpai…" Yukari sobbed and began to cry hard.

"There, there…" Mitsuru cooed, smoothing Yukari's hair as she held onto her. "I'm willing to give us a chance so please stop crying," she told the younger girl. "It's making my heart break. Here," Mitsuru said, pulling out a handkerchief from her pocket and handing it to the girl. "Dry your tears and try to calm down. You still have to attend a meeting," she reminded Yukari with a smile.

When Yukari finally mastered herself, she let Mitsuru accompany her downstairs to the student council room. The moment they stood before the closed door, Yukari turned to face her senpai. "Thanks… Mitsuru-senpai," she told the crimson-eyed college student. "It means a lot to me that you have accepted me." Her face turned into a dark shade of red as she gazed lovingly at Mitsuru. "I-I like you a lot, senpai. Can we see each other again soon?"

Mitsuru smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "Call me, Yukari," she told her and waited as her new lover smiled brightly at her before going up to her tiptoes and pecking her quickly on the lips. "Go on now. You've kept them waiting long enough." Mitsuru watched as Yukari opened the door and stepped inside. The college student waved briefly to Junpei and Fuuka before she made her way down the stairs and outside of the school where her chauffeur waited patiently for her.

* * *

A week had gone by since Yukari and Mitsuru had become lovers. They saw each other secretly and would go out on dates; making it look like that it was a normal gimmick between two friends. Mitsuru would often head to Gekkoukan high school after her classes at her university to spend some time with Yukari who would either be staying behind in school for student council work or archery practice. Many students didn't seem to mind that a university student was dropping by frequently at their school. Mitsuru of course had it all planned out. Whenever she would visit her former high school, she would always have an alibi to justify her visits. The first few times she came to the school, she had explained to Junpei and Fuuka that she was checking with the school's administration regarding Minato's late enrollment and make-up classes. The other variety of excuses she would give would revolve around supposed orders from the Kirijo group, transcripts, guest speaker for symposiums and others.

On the other hand, other students merely saw these frequent visits as attempts to keep relationships intact. Junpei, Fuuka and Ken thought this was so and readily welcomed Mitsuru whenever she would grace their hallways. Minato on the other hand was doing well despite having a late start on that current school year. Mitsuru was told by her friends among the high school seniors that Minato was excelling in his academics and would take probably a week more of make-up classes to get back on track. The teachers were all accommodating and did everything that they could to help Minato since he had just woken up from a coma.

It was a cloudy late Sunday afternoon in Paulownia Mall. Yukari was patiently window-shopping as she waited for Mitsuru to arrive. They had originally planned to spend the whole cay together but then the Kirijo group had all of a sudden called for a meeting. Mitsuru's attendance was required and there wasn't any excuse for her to be absent so they pushed back their plans to a later time instead so that they could still see each other. Yukari was of course a bit unhappy that she would have less time to spend with her senpai, but then again a night time date was better. It was darker and there were relatively fewer people in their age group who chose to be outside at that time. It meant that Mitsuru and Yukari could continue keeping their relationship secret for the time being.

As the high school senior looked through the glass display of a variety of jewelry and accessories, Yukari thought back on how she and Mitsuru had ended up together. She had always liked the stoic and often-nonchalant upperclassman. Mitsuru was always popular and admired among the students for her intelligence, charisma and beauty. Many boys and quite a handful of girls wooed after her, but couldn't or would not dare to get close either because of fear or inferiority. Yukari wasn't sure at that time when Mitsuru was still the student council president of Gekkoukan high school if she liked Mitsuru in an admiring kind of way or if was something else. She'd always thought that she admired and respected the older girl and that admiration increased steadily when she had discovered her persona and was recruited into S.E.E.S., the same group that included Mitsuru and Akihiko.

It wasn't a smooth relationship between her and the heiress all the way. Yukari had her bouts of being irked by Mitsuru's often cold and uncaring attitude. Back then, Mitsuru was frequently dead-focused on doing her job so seriously that it would sometimes cause rifts between the members of S.E.E.S. Then there was that time when she had taken the members of S.E.E.S. to Yakushima. During their stay there, it would be the second time Yukari would be at her most vulnerable when Mitsuru's father explained to them the incident that brought about the existence of shadows and Tartarus to their world. Yukari was already insecure because of the absence of her father and her dislike for her mother, but her insecurities increased all the more when Takeharu Kirijo showed them the only video footage recovered concerning the incident that happened ten years ago. She lost control of her temper upon finding out that her father had been responsible for bringing about the shadows and Tartarus. Tempers flared that night because she had pinned the blame on Mitsuru for hiding that fact from her especially since she has been searching for answers to her father's death.

Prior to the school trip to Kyoto and after the murder of Mitsuru's father, Yukari had made up her mind to approach Mitsuru. The auburn-haired president was planning on skipping the trip because she would just ruin the fun of the students. Yukari of course protested that and told Mitsuru that she was going to be more frontal with her. She would have said more except that Ryoji came and began to flirt with Mitsuru. When the juniors and seniors were already at Kyoto and were enjoying their free time before their imposed curfew, Yukari found Mitsuru by the riverbank on the brink of giving up everything they had fought for. Her senpai was wallowing in her guilt for having trusted Ikutsuki. She claimed that she was blinded by and allowed him to use them for his evil purposes. Yukari remembered how Mitsuru had told her that night that her life was now without meaning to which she responded to by slapping Mitsuru hard on the face. And then… Mitsuru had asked her that question.

"_Yukari, will you stand with me until the end?"_

It was then that Yukari began to have strange feelings engulf her. She had intended to just cheer up Mitsuru, but these unknown feelings assaulted her being. It took her more than half a year later to realize what those feelings were and after gathering enough nerve, she came out to Mitsuru. Thankfully, things have been going well between them and now she couldn't wait to see her. Yukari chuckled to herself as she continued to think about her senpai.

"You're quite happy."

Yukari twisted around in surprise and grinned at Minato. "Is there something wrong with that?"

Minato shrugged and returned the smile. "Not at all," he assured her.

"How have you been doing with your make-up classes?" Yukari asked, she and Minato walked around the mall. "You've been having them every day after class and on Sundays too. Aren't you tired?"

Minato shook his head. "I don't mind being tired," he started and grinned goofily at Yukari. "After all, I have been resting for half a year so I shouldn't be complaining." He stretched his back as he accompanied Yukari into a store. "The extra classes are all right and the teachers say I've been progressing quite nicely. I just have to get through one more week of these classes and I'll be on the same level as you guys." Minato looked up at the dark clouds in the sky and frowned. "Honestly, the classes are really worth it since I'll be able to go through senior year with you, Junpei and Fuuka. I tried to convince Aigis to do the same so that we could all be together again, but she refused and said that she was content on watching over us."

Yukari nodded her head and looked a bit regretful that Aigis had turned down going back to school. "What are your plans when you finish the extra classes and get back on track with the school year?"

Minato looked thoughtful for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowing. "Well, I was thinking of rejoining the Kendo club. I wouldn't want to stick being an ordinary student," he told Yukari. "Besides, I need the exercise. Sleeping for over six months has made me really out of shape."

Yukari laughed and lightly punched Minato on his arm. "You could always join the student council again," she pointed out. "Junpei mentioned something that he needed help in the disciplinary arm of the student council. Maybe you'd like to take that position? You'd be with Junpei, Fuuka and me if you do that."

"Hmmm… Well, I was active in the student council since Mitsuru-senpai had asked me to help out," Minato stated. "I suppose it wouldn't be such a bad idea to help out again."

"Great!" Yukari exclaimed, clapping Minato on the back. "Let's tell Junpei about it first thing tomorrow morning!" They walked into a bookstore still carrying on a conversation with each other until Yukari spotted a book on display. "Oh! This is the book Mitsuru-senpai was talking about!" She picked it up and flipped through the pages. "She was saying something about wanting to buy a book with illustrations about historical Europe."

Minato leaned over to look at the pictures in the book. "That's actually quite interesting," he observed and pointed at a picture of a painting. "That's Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa, right?"

Yukari nodded and excitedly began to explain what she knew about the painting. "There's a whole lot of controversy with this particular work of art. Mitsuru-senpai said that people are still in doubt about the real identity of the woman in the painting. Some say that it was the wife of one of the patrons of Da Vinci. They say that that patron was a wealthy noble who commissioned him to make a portrait of his wife. Others speculate that the woman in the painting is in fact a self-portrait of Da Vinci," she explained with enthusiasm, returning the book and heading outside towards the central fountain of the mall. "Mitsuru-senpai also mentioned that the greatest intrigue behind the Mona Lisa is the mystery of her smile. Until now, people don't know the exact reason why the Mona Lisa is smiling."

Minato gazed at Yukari with great curiosity.

"What?" Yukari demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The blue-haired man shook his head ruefully. "You've been spending a lot of time with Mitsuru-senpai, haven't you?" he asked, his gray eyes unreadable.

Yukari took step back, surprised that Minato was asking that question. "Why do you ask? We're good friends after all," she told him, trying to not look and sound nervous.

Minato shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Junpei told me earlier before I went to class that you cancelled out on a group lunch date because you had other plans. You also didn't mention why you were cancelling, but Junpei guessed that it was because you were going to hang out with Mitsuru-senpai."

"What's that got to do with this?" Yukari demanded.

"People talk, Yukari. You know that word gets around quickly and eventually circulates as rumors. Students have been wondering why Mitsuru-senpai is frequently at Gekkoukan high school when she's already a university student. There's a small minority of students who speculate that Mitsuru-senpai has been coming back because she's looking to forming a relationship with an unknown student," Minato explained, his eyes and tone of voice unreadable. "Just recently, I overheard a student joke to her friend that the student Mitsuru-senpai is looking to forming a relationship may be you, Yukari since Mitsuru is often seen hanging around with you."

"Mitsuru-senpai doesn't hang out with me all the time!" Yukari protested, feeling really nervous now. "Whenever she visits, she hangs out with all of her friends! Ask Junpei and the others!"

Minato shifted his weight to his other foot. "I know senpai also hangs out with the rest of our friends when she does visit," he told Yukari. "But perhaps it is only I who has noticed that she has been spending more time with you compared to our other friends. There is also the fact that the two of you often go out with each other these days."

"What are you implying, Minato?" Yukari asked quietly, her hand clenched tightly into a fist on her chest.

Minato looked at Yukari seriously before letting out his question. "Yukari… Is there something going on between you and Mitsuru-senpai?"

Shock veined Yukari's face as she stared at the blue-haired boy before her. She couldn't believe it. How could Minato be able to tell so easily that there was indeed something going on between her and Mitsuru? Was she so easy to read? No… even her other friends could not tell that there was something going. She looked carefully at Minato and saw a dark look in his eyes and what looked to be a forming frown on his face. _He's against it! He's going to tell the others and have them force me to break up with Mitsuru!_ Yukari thought, tears forming in her hazel eyes. The dark clouds gave way to pouring rain. She spun around and was about to run but felt herself pulled back by a strong hand.

"Yukari! Why are you running away?!" Minato demanded, keeping his grip tight around Yukari's wrist. "It was just a simple question!" he explained, sounding panicked. "You don't need to answer it if you don't want to!"

Yukari turned around slowly, the tears slowly leaking out of her eyes and down her cheeks. "You're not trying to make me break up with Mitsuru?" she half blubbered out, swiping at her tears.

Minato blinked a few times and shook his head vigorously. "Break you up with Mitsuru?" he clarified. "So you're saying that you're in a relationship with Mitsuru-senpai?" He let out a sigh. "Since when?"

"About a week ago," Yukari replied, still unable to halt the flow of tears. "You're against it, aren't you?" Yukari accused Minato, misunderstanding the look on Minato's face.

"Against it? Why should I be against your desire to be with senpai?" Minato asked, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "The two of you had always been close and I never had anything against these kinds of relationships." He pulled Yukari forward and gave her a comforting hug. "Hey stop crying already. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I just wanted to hear the truth from you if it was indeed true." He smoothed Yukari's hair and patted her back as the girl cried into his shoulder. "I didn't like it that rumors about you and Mitsuru-senpai were circulating so I decided to ask you about it first."

"Will you keep it a secret?" Yukari asked softly, still not pulling away from Minato's hug. "I'm not sure how Junpei and the others will react."

Minato nodded his head. "If that's what you wish then I won't say a word." He hugged her tightly and continued to calm her down. Suddenly his eyes widened and he pulled away from Yukari. "Senpai," he stuttered. "It's not what you think!"

Yukari turned around and saw Mitsuru who was slightly drenched and was holding two steaming cups of coffee in her hands. There was also a hurt look on her face, which gave off the fact that she had witnessed the intimate hug between them. "Mitsuru! Please don't take this the wrong way!" Yukari begged, walking towards the auburn-haired woman. "Senpai! Don't!" Yukari shouted when Mitsuru let the cups of coffee fall and splatter on the ground then run outside of the mall into the heavy rain.

Minato and Yukari ran outside of the entrance and looked around for Mitsuru, but there was no sign of her. "Yukari calm down! We just have to explain this calmly to her!" He held Yukari back who struggled to get free from Minato's hold and run after her senpai.

"I have to find her! Please let go of me!" Yukari wailed. "Let go of me Minato!"

Minato sighed and wrapped his arms around Yukari to restrain her. "Yukari… we won't be able to find her in this rain and if you do go after her, you'd risk getting sick." He felt the girl's struggle slowly cease. "Please calm down! I'll help you try to contact and look for her!"

"Senpai!" Yukari yelled distraught and fell hard on her knees onto the hard concrete ground.

* * *

The rain pounded against her as she ran hard down a few streets. She hurt terribly within her after seeing Yukari wrapped up in Minato's arms. Mitsuru grit her teeth as she ran aimlessly down the street. This hurt ten times more than that time Ikutsuki had betrayed them and killed her father in the process. The roads where unusually not congested as she ran up to a building and pressed her hands against the wall as she caught her breath. _Why did this happen?_

Things were going so well in their newly formed relationship. Was there something wrong with Mitsuru? Was there something lacking in her that made Yukari seek Minato's affections? Mitsuru let her hands clench tightly into fists against the wall of the building. She felt betrayed. They had planned the day before that they would spend the whole Sunday together, but then the Kirijo group had to intervene. Mitsuru didn't mind that she was going to have less time to spend with Yukari. She had just arrived at the mall when the rain started to come down hard. Mitsuru thought that it would be a good idea to buy some hot coffee for the both of them because of the weather and had done so. When she got to the central plaza, she was utterly shocked at the scene before her. Yukari and Minato were hugging each other intimately. What made it worse was that Yukari didn't seem to mind and was hugging Minato back with the same intimacy.

What did they expect her to do? Take it in civilly? She did what she thought any person would have done if a lover had betrayed him or her. She ran fast and hard as far away as she can. Mitsuru pushed herself away from the building and continued to run farther and farther away. It was hard to tell where she was now because of the rain, but she could vaguely make out the coastline and the rough seas beyond the side of the road. Mitsuru guessed that she was on one of the coastal roads. Without thinking, she stepped onto the road and began to run across it wanting to get to side of the road where a protective fence stood and barred the way to the beach. She was at the middle of the road when she heard the ugly squeal of tires several yards away from her. Mitsuru looked where the sound was coming from and froze in fear as a motorcycle speeded towards her. The auburn-haired woman remained frozen and could not emit a scream as the bike came closer and closer, blinding her with its bright headlights. She was closing her eyes when the bike was about to hit her, but kept them open when the bike, just a few feet away from her swerved and almost narrowly missed her. One of the bike's sharp edges had clipped her arm, but the force was enough to knock her onto her behind. Mitsuru gripped her bleeding arm in pain as she heard the bike's tires squeal violently, as if the rider was struggling to keep the bike under control.

Finally, the screeching sounds of drifting tires against asphalt stopped. Mitsuru closed her eyes tightly as she tried to forget the pain on her arm. It burned painfully and it complimented the emotional pain she was feeling. Hot tears eked out of her eyes as she sat there on the drenched and hard ground.

"Are you alright?!" A voice shouted at her from a distance.

Mitsuru looked up and watched a vague helmeted figure run towards her. The person was wearing black and silver helmet and was obviously not dressed for the weather. A worn leather racing jacket and jeans were donned by the biker and were completely soaked. Mitsuru continued to stare at the rider and did not react when the person suddenly stopped in his tracks, seemingly gawking at her from behind the tinted visor of the helmet.

"Mitsuru?!" This time Mitsuru could tell that the biker's voice was female. "What the hell are you doing out in the rain?!" The biker came forward, her hands going up to the helmet on her head and pulling it off. Emerald-green eyes gazed at Mitsuru as the familiar shock of dark-blue hair flattened against the biker's head, face and neck. "Damn…" Skye hissed, seeing that Mitsuru was nursing an injury. "I hit you, didn't I?" she cursed and got to her knees beside Mitsuru. "Forgive me for that, but I really had little time to react when you just ran out onto the road like that." She looked closely at Mitsuru's face. "Mitsuru? Are you alright? You're… crying?"

The tears came down harder now and Mitsuru threw herself into her professor's chest, sobbing uncontrollably. She clung tightly onto Skye's racing jacket as she buried her face into Skye's chest. It was rare for Mitsuru to break down like this. The last time she had done it was when her father had died. Now she felt weak and silly as she cried almost hysterically in her professor's comforting embrace.

Skye was obviously taken aback by her student's behavior, but she chose to comfort her in the pouring rain in the middle of the road. The green-eyed woman rubbed Mitsuru's back soothingly and allowed her to continue crying into her chest. She knew that she should get the both of them off the road and out of the rain, but she wouldn't be able to do that until Mitsuru had calmed down enough for her to work with. After five minutes, Mitsuru's sobs had calmed down to soft hiccups and her grip on Skye's jacket had considerably loosened. Sensing that it was the right time, Skye pulled away and looked at Mitsuru comfortingly. "We're both getting drenched," she told the younger girl. "My apartment is nearby. We could talk more when we get there." She smiled and squeezed the auburn-haired student's shoulder reassuringly.

The blue-haired professor helped her student onto her feet and led her to the motorcycle that she was riding. Mitsuru was so out of it that she didn't even react that the motorcycle that Skye had been riding was her very own Ducati bike. Skye had decided to take the bike for a test run and was planning to bring the bike to Mitsuru's apartment so that the girl wouldn't need to trouble herself. She got onto the bike and put the helmet on. "Sorry. I'd make you wear the helmet but I need it in this rain." She held her hand out and waited for Mitsuru to take it. When the girl grabbed hold of her hand and got in behind her, Skye urged Mitsuru to hold onto her tightly. She assured the younger girl that she would get them back to her apartment in short time.

The ride to Skye's apartment just fell short from dangerous due to the slippery roads. Skye focused hard on the road, but still worried about her student who clung tightly around her waist. Thankfully, there were hardly any cars out on the road and it only took ten minutes before Skye rolled into the sheltered garage of the apartment she resided in. Skye killed the engine, kicked the stand down and helped Mitsuru off the bike. The girl still seemed unwilling to move on her own so Skye took Mitsuru's hand and led her inside the apartment, leaving a wet trail behind them. They boarded an empty elevator and took it to the top floor. The door slid open and out trudged Skye who pulled Mitsuru along with her into her modest looking apartment.

Skye had Mitsuru sit down on her couch, not minding that she was wet and headed to her room to grab some towels. She stalked back into her living room and dropped the large towel over Mitsuru's head and shoulders. "Go dry yourself off while I make a pot of tea and find you some dry clothes to wear." With that, the soaked professor disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Mitsuru alone with her thoughts.

Mitsuru felt strange as she gripped the edges of the fluffy towel and wrapped it around her shaking form. First, she was at Paulownia mall and now she was at her professor's apartment. Mitsuru felt embarrassed that Skye had to witness her break down like that and actually take her back to her place. Tears fell from her eyes as she remembered what had happened earlier. She covered her eyes with her hands, her shoulders jerking upward each time she sobbed.

"Hoy… Drink this for now. It'll make you feel better while I go fetch you some clothes." Skye set a full cup of hot tea on the table in front of Mitsuru. She gazed worriedly at her student. "Mitsuru… please stop crying. You're distressing me," she told the younger girl before heading into her room to change and get another set of clothes for Mitsuru. She came out after a few minutes in loose black cloth pants and a wifebeater shirt. In her arms, she held a similar pair of black cloth pants and a London University t-shirt. She pointed the bathroom out to Mitsuru and waited in the living room for her student to change out of her wet clothes. "Are you ready to talk now?" Skye asked once Mitsuru was settled on the couch beside her.

Mitsuru nodded and ran her hands through her wet hair. "I'm sorry Skye..." she started. "I didn't want you to see me in this state and to trouble you." She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. She buried her face into her knees, embarrassed to meet the gaze of her professor.

Skye sighed. "Mitsuru, you don't need to apologize to me." She gently prodded Mitsuru's injured arm and saw that the blood was starting to clot. Skye walked to a nearby closet and pulled out a first-aid kit. "You had me really worried back there when you just suddenly ran onto the road," she told the younger girl, applying some disinfectant to the wound and wrapping a bandage around her arm. "What happened?"

The auburn-haired student hesitated, not sure if she should tell her professor. But then again, Skye looked like a very open and liberal character so Mitsuru took a deep breath and began to tell her professor everything that had happened. She told Skye everything from her evolving friendship with Yukari, the day Yukari had confessed her love to her, their short time spent together as a couple up to the events that had recently occurred earlier that day.

Skye had an indecipherable look on her face as she took in everything that Mitsuru had told her. "Don't take this personally Mitsuru," she started, when the girl had finished explaining. "But don't you think you probably just misunderstood Yukari and your friend Minato?" She took her towel and continued to dry her hair. "From what you told me about this boy, it doesn't seem like he had any intention of taking Yukari away from you."

Mitsuru let out a defeated sigh. "Perhaps you're right, Skye," she admitted feeling a bit guilty. "I… I just overreacted when I saw Yukari hugging Minato." Mitsuru rubbed her sore arm gingerly. "I have some explaining to do tomorrow."

"Well, you could leave that for tomorrow," Skye told her. "Right now I want you to rest here for tonight." She looked out of the window and scowled at the still heavy downpour. "Nobody will be getting anywhere with this kind of rain. Come on," she urged her student. "You can sleep on my bed for tonight. I'll take the couch."

Mitsuru shook her head vehemently. "Please Skye! That wouldn't be necessary! I would gladly sleep on the couch."

"I refuse. You're my guest so you should sleep on my bed."

Mitsuru crossed her arms and glared up at the taller woman. "Sensei…" she said in a warning voice. "Could we compromise?"

Skye sighed and leaned against her bedroom door. "What do you suggest?"

"Share the bed," Mitsuru put it simply. The bed was indeed big enough to hold the both of them. "Skye-san? You're turning red," she pointed out, feeling amused. "You're not comfortable sharing your bed?"

"Well… I will admit that I am a bit uncomfortable, but if that is what you wish then I suppose I could manage," Skye relented. "For one night at least," she added ruefully. She dimmed the lights as Mitsuru first got into her bed. Skye then eased herself into the vacant space on her bed and settled herself in. "Will you be going to your high school to talk to Yukari?"

Mitsuru nodded ad snuggled deeper into the blankets. "I really plan to but there's class tomorrow."

"You forget that it's an official university holiday tomorrow," Skye informed her student, holding back a yawn. "All classes have been cancelled so you could head over to your former high school and have your talk with your Yukari and Minato."

"Skye… Have you ever been in a relationship?" Mitsuru asked hesitantly.

"Why do you ask?"

Mitsuru shrugged and looked over at the supine form of her professor. "It just seems like you're so knowledgeable about people and their relationships with each other."

Skye twisted around so that she could look at Mitsuru. "It doesn't always necessarily mean that the best people who know everything about the relationship game have been in relationships themselves."

Mitsuru rolled her eyes. She knew that her sensei was trying to avoid the question she had just asked. "Skye just answer the question."

The blue-haired woman scowled deeply and threw a pillow over her face. "If you really must know, I never had a relationship with a person although there were quite a few suitors who did try for me when I was still in high school and college."

"Boys?" Mitsuru asked, looking to tease her professor a bit.

Skye's head peeked out from under her pillow, revealing a tussled shock of dark-blue hair. "Mostly boys… then there were the occasional girls," she admitted, grinning ruefully at her student on the other side of her bed.

"You seemed to be well liked."

"I was the typical girl that boys _and _girls in this case liked." Skye rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. "Tall, built, athletic, well-mannered, rich and worldly. It was a constant annoyance to have a train of people following you around every single day."

Mitsuru was intrigued. So… her professor was a supposed heartthrob during her school days. "So you never accepted any of the proposals of your suitors?" she teased.

"Why should I? I wasn't interested and I was kept busy with my mother's family's business." Her mouth opened widely to accommodate a yawn. "Are you going to keep asking me questions or are we going to get some sleep?" She turned away from Mitsuru and wrapped the blankets firmly around her body. "Look, I'll bring you over to your high school first thing in the morning so that you could patch things up between you and Yukari. So go get some sleep already!"

* * *

As Skye promised last night, she brought Mitsuru to Gekkoukan high school first thing in the morning. Mitsuru had woken up an hour later than her professor to find that her clothes from the previous day had been washed and pressed. The both enjoyed a quick and simple breakfast before they headed downstairs to the garage to board Mitsuru's Ducati bike. This time Blake handed Mitsuru a spare helmet before they both boarded the black and silver bike.

They reached the school as students walked through its gate to get to their classes. Several of the students stopped and stared as the large black and silver bike cruised to a stop in front of the gate of their school. Skye cut the engine off and balanced the bike by setting her foot firmly on the ground as she waited for Mitsuru to get off the bike. "Looks like I'll be keeping your bike for a while longer," Skye told Mitsuru, pushing the visor up to gaze at her student with her emerald green eyes. "I have to get going. I have to check on my father."

Mitsuru nodded and handed the spare helmet back to Skye. "Thanks for everything Skye. I really appreciate what you've done for me." With a wave from her professor, she watched as Skye ignited the engines, snapped down her visor then raced away. Mitsuru didn't bother to stand there and wait for her professor to disappear from her sight. Instead, she strode to the place she knew Yukari would be at this early in the morning: The archery dojo. She ignored all the looks she was being given and walked up to the sliding wooden doors of the archery dojo. Taking a deep breath, the auburn-haired woman silently slid the doors open and closed them securely behind her. Surely enough, Yukari was there intent on practicing and honing her skill.

Mitsuru cleared her throat and waited for Yukari to turn around. When Yukari did turn around to regard her, the heiress opened her mouth to apologize but was beaten to it. The young archer threw herself into Mitsuru's arms and began to blubber apologies and explanations. "Shhh… it's alright. I forgive you and I ask for your forgiveness too."

"Of course I forgive you, senpai," Yukari whispered, pulling away from Mitsuru's embrace. She sweetly smiled at the older woman and leaned up to give Mitsuru a kiss. "Senpai," she said after they broke away. "We should look for Minato and explain everything." She looked sheepish. "He knows about us."

Mitsuru shrugged and hugged Yukari fiercely. "We'll do that then."

"By the way senpai, where were you last night?" Yukari asked as she and Mitsuru walked out of the small dojo and made their way to the main school building. "I kept trying to call your cellphone and your landline at your apartment, but you wouldn't answer."

"I got picked up by… a friend of mine who put up with me for the night."

Yukari was curious to find out about this mystery friend of Mitsuru's. "Who's this friend of yours?" she demanded to know.

"I'll tell you another time," Mitsuru replied, ruffling Yukari's honey brown hair with her hand.

"Awww! Senpai!"

* * *

_**Another chapter up! Hurrah!**_

_**Mr. Thumbsup: didn't expect that again? hahaha! Oh well! :)**_

_**Next chapter: dating, friends finding out and thoughts of taking the next step.**_


	6. Nothing Else to Hide

_Chapter 6: Nothing Else to Hide_

"Finally!" Junpei cried out, stretching his arms towards the ceiling. "It's the end of the school day!" The loud-mouthed senior got out of his chair and grinned at his seatmate. "Yo! Minato!" A wider grin donned his face. "Hey it rhymes!"

As the hat-wearing Junpei laughed at his own antics, the gray-eyed Minato merely shrugged his shoulders and directed a look of boredom at Yukari. "The only person who finds Junpei's antics funny is Junpei himself," he told Yukari with a smile.

"You got that right!" The hazel-haired archer laughed hard. Yukari may be closer to Junpei and understood him more at present, but it was still a hell lot of fun to make fun of him. "Stupei! You always say the same thing at the end of our classes! Shouldn't you be used to it by now?"

Junpei snorted and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Heck no!" he retorted. "It's the same thing every single day!" he complained. "It gets so boring that I can't wait to jump out of my seat and head to the Iwatodai strip for some food, fun and chicks!" He walked over to Minato and clapped him hard on the shoulder. "So what do you think, Minato? You ready to do some chick-hunting with me?" He looked expectantly at his friend.

Yukari let out a sigh and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why must you be such an idiot, Stupei?" she muttered, catching the thoughtful look on Minato's face. "Oh no…" she began, realizing what the look on the blue-haired student's face may have meant. "Don't tell me you actually are considering going with Junpei to go _chick-hunting_!"

Minato turned his face to Yukari and blinked at her. "Yukari, must you demean me by saying that?" he asked, his usual uninterested look evident on his face. "The only person who calls socializing with girls 'chick-hunting' is this guy over here." He jerked his thumb at an irritated Junpei. "But anyway, I do want to go to Iwatodai and get some food."

"Hell yeah!" Junpei pumped his fist up into the air. "Food and chick-hunting for me then!" he dashed out of the classroom, leaving his classmates behind. A few seconds later, he came rushing back in. "Oh, I'm going to look for Fuuka and see if she wants to come along," he told them. "I'll see you at the front of the school!" He dashed outside once more.

"He plans to go chick-hunting with Fuuka in your company?" Yukari asked, exasperated. "He's such a kid!"

Minato smiled as he stowed away his books beneath his desk and put the rest of his things into his bag. "You know how he is, Yukari," he told his first friend ever since moving into the dorms. The gray-eyed young man pinned his book bag under his arm and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Come on. We should get going already."

Yukari shook her head and gave Minato an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I already made plans for today."

Minato cocked his head and gave Yukari a look. "Hanging out with Mitsuru-senpai?" he asked. He was actually about to say 'going out on a date with Mitsuru-senpai', but caught himself just in time.

The young senior felt her cheeks burn. "Yeah…" she admitted, tucking her hands behind her back and scuffing her foot against the ground. "We haven't seen each other for two weeks now and I promised her this time around that I'd be the one to go to her university."

Minato nodded his head thoughtfully. "I didn't realize that Mitsuru-senpai would always be the one to do the travelling to meet up for your-" he paused, frowning at what he was just about to say. "Your meetings," he changed the word, clearing his throat.

"She does have the car," Yukari pointed out. "Senpai said that it was alright for her, but I felt bad about it so I convinced her that I'd be the one going to her area for this particular meeting." She grabbed onto her bag and motioned for Minato to walk with her. She let out a giggle. "Was it awkward when Mitsuru-senpai approached you all of a sudden when she visited a few weeks ago?"

"You mean when she threatened to execute me if I told anyone?" Minato drawled.

Yukari looked horrified. "She said that?!" The archery team captain covered her eyes with her hands. "I can't believe she threatened you!" she mumbled out. "She just said that she was going to apologize for overreacting that day when she caught you and me together."

Minato shrugged as they walked through the open doors of their school. "Well…" Minato started, looking up at the afternoon skies. "She did the apologizing during the beginning of our conversation then she threatened to execute me if she so ever hears a rumor circulating about the two of you."

Looking deeply embarrassed about the behavior of her lover, Yukari bowed deeply to her friend. "I'll make her apologize to you for doing that! Of all the people in our group, she knows that you're the most trustworthy!"

Minato put up his hands in front of him. "There's no need Yukari!" he exclaimed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The last thing he wanted was Mitsuru attempting to apologize to him again. "You really don't need to do that," he pressed his friend. "I'm sure senpai was just worried about you."

"Are you sure?"

Minato nodded, sticking his hand up in the air and waved at Junpei and Fuuka who were waiting by the school gate. "Very sure," he replied as they halted in front of the rest of their friends.

"Took you long enough!" Junpei told them. He straightened his hat. "Let's get going! Akihiko-senpai said he's in the area and agreed to meet up with us!"

"I'll see you next week then?" Minato smiled at Yukari.

"What?! Not coming along Yuka-tan?" Junpei frowned at her.

"Sorry," Yukari apologized. "You were in such a hurry that I couldn't tell you that I already had plans for this afternoon," she scolded Junpei. "Another time, alright?"

Junpei let out a huff of breath. "Fine then Yuka-tan! You owe us for ditching today!" Junpei waved once and began walking away with Fuuka behind him. "Yo Minato! Hurry up!" he shouted over his shoulder.

"Take care of yourself while commuting," Minato advised Yukari before jogging after his two friends.

Yukari stood by the gate for a few moments, waiting for her friends to disappear around the corner. It would have been weird if they were going to be on the same train so she decided to lag back and take the next train. The hazel-haired girl glanced at the digital clock on the screen of her cellphone. "Senpai should be just about done with that make-up class she was talking about." Pocketing the gadget and humming a tune, she took off towards the train station at an easy pace.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Yukari was walking across the unfamiliar campus of her senpai's university. She was searching for the campus library where Mitsuru would be doing her schoolwork while waiting for Yukari to arrive. It was close to four in the afternoon and she knew that Mitsuru must have been waiting already for almost an hour. "Excuse me." She approached a female university student walking towards her. "Could you tell me where the library is?" she asked, when the older woman stopped to listen to her.

The student pointed to a four-storey building to the east. "It's right over there," she told Yukari with a smile before walking in the opposite direction.

Yukari called out a thank you to the retreating back of the helpful student then made her way to the library. Pushing open the large doors, Yukari stepped inside and felt a little bit awestruck with the vast collections of books that mounted numerous shelves inside the library. She had no idea where Mitsuru was inside and she knew she could not use her cellphone to call or message the older girl. She let out a sigh. It was going to take her a while before she could find the redheaded beauty.

Without bothering the students who were making use of the facility, Yukari quietly padded across the length of the lobby and chose to turn into an aisle enclosed by two massive shelves filled with books. As she ran a finger against the spines of books, Yukari couldn't help but feel a little bit chilly. She had heard from many people that if you wanted to go to a library, Sora University's library was considered one of the best not just because of its great selection of books, but also because of its great facility. Summer season was closing in fast and the temperature outside was rising so the library's staff had turned on the central air-conditioning system on. Yukari untied her pink cardigan from around her waist and shrugged it on as she entered a different aisle. She found herself in a darker and possibly the least unattended area of the library, due to the dust that clung to the books and shelves.

Feeling a little bit bored, the hazel-haired archery captain selected a book and pulled it out from the shelf. "This must be a really old book," Yukari let out, noting the crumbling yellow pages of the book. "Why would senpai want to spend her time here? I can't study or do homework if it's this quiet!"

"On the contrary," a voice sounded from behind. "I happen to like the library a lot because I can get things done rather quickly." Mitsuru smiled down at her young lover who had whirled around in surprise. "Hello Yukari," she greeted, leaning in close. "I have missed you, _mi amour."_

Yukari put a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle as she stepped away from her crimson-eyed lover. "They say French is the language of love, but what's the use when I can't understand it myself?" she directed the question at her senpai, blushing in spite of herself. "What does _mi amour_ mean anyway?"

Mitsuru straightened and crossed her arms over her chest. "It's French for 'my love' and I have decided to use it as my term of endearment for you," she explained, taking hold of Yukari's hand and leading her to a brighter lit area of the library. "I find it rather boring if our relationship is just like those you see around you, so I decided to put some spice into ours."

Yukari blushed as she tightened her hold around Mitsuru's hand. "It's going to take some getting used to," she admitted, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "The French I mean," she continued as she and Mitsuru halted in the middle of another aisle. "I kind of like it though," she added in a soft voice.

A smile tugged on Mitsuru's lips as she gazed at Yukari. "Well, I had no doubt you'd like my term of endearment for you," she replied, feeling slightly smug. "So shall we get going? Despite how much I like the library, it isn't exactly the ideal place to conduct a date." She tried to pull Yukari towards the main aisle.

"Who says a library isn't the ideal place for a date?" Yukari asked, mischief playing in her eyes. Despite her dainty form, Yukari gripped Mitsuru's hand firmly and pulled her against her body. With her other hand, she pushed at the redhead's shoulder and pinned her against the tall bookshelf. "I may like the library more because of _this_." She smiled seductively at her lover.

Mitsuru let out a nervous laugh as she tried to escape from Yukari's hold. "You've been getting too many ideas from Junpei's manga collection," she told her lover. "This is a public facility you know," she reminded in a breathless voice as Yukari's face came nearer.

"I know," Yukari replied, licking her lips and looking hungrily at her senpai. "Knowing that fact just makes it more thrilling," she told Mitsuru before standing on her tiptoes and pressing their lips together. Yukari twined their fingers together while her other hand travelled from Mitsuru's shoulder up to the luscious crimson hair of her lover. It was a little bit strange that she was playing the aggressive role because Mitsuru would usually take that part. Nevertheless, Yukari felt giddy that she had the ever so formal and dignified heiress of the Kirijo group melting in her arms. So caught up were they in their lovemaking, they both failed to hear the approaching steps of several people.

"Oh come on sensei!" a young man whined. "Haven't you made us suffer enough?"

"Apparently not," an older woman's voice retorted. "All of you wouldn't be in this situation if you did your part in my class. I did warn all of you that I do not take abusing my kindness and generosity lightly."

The students grumbled. "So what are you going to have us do here?" one student asked.

"Since I noticed that most of your final papers aren't meeting the standards I set, I decided that a little library work will go a long way," the professor explained, dead seriousness in her voice. "I'm sure the resources in this facility will be adequate for your individual research. Go on now! Don't let me catch you dozing off in a corner of this library or you'll be in a hell lot of trouble with me!"

The students began to walk away to do the task set out for them quickly. "Sensei, where can we find you if we need some help?" A female student and a few of her classmates had stayed behind to ask their professor.

"I'll just be around this area," the professor replied. "If you can't find me, it means that I'm in one of the aisles. Right now, I have to return these books." Footsteps resounded closer and closer to the aisle where Mitsuru and Yukari were hiding in, still oblivious to what was happening around them. "In the mean time, go on and make do with the remaining time before I-" the professor abruptly stopped in her tracks at the entry point of aisle and lost her grip on her thick hardbound books. "Shit!" the blue-haired professor cursed as one particular book's hard and sharp corner thudded onto her foot. "God damn it!" she growled, getting down on one knee and kneading her injured foot as she scowled at the shocked redhead who was pinned against the bookshelf by a hazel-haired girl.

"Sensei! Are you alright?"

Skye pushed herself up to her feet, wincing as pain shot through her foot. "It's nothing!" she told the students, limping back to the lobby to meet them. "I accidentally dropped the books onto my foot."

"Need any help, sensei? I'll go get those dropped books for you," a student offered.

"No!" Skye almost shouted. "I mean," she cleared her throat. "I can do that myself and you kids still have work to do. Get going now please!" she told them, hiding her hand behind her back and waving it. She had a feeling that her redheaded student and her young girlfriend were watching her from their hiding place. Once the students had gone off to various parts of the library, the professor with blue-black hair turned on her heel and limped back to the aisle. "You do realize what kind of trouble you could have gotten into if I had not done anything." She scowled at her student and her girlfriend.

"Skye-san," Mitsuru stammered, a fierce blush coloring her alabaster skin.

The blue-haired professor lowered herself to the ground to gather the fallen books. "I wouldn't have expected you to choose this type of place to make out, Mitsuru," she told the heavily blushing heiress. "As for you Takeba, next time you decide to make a move on your girlfriend in the library, make sure it's in the darkest corner." Skye got back up to her feet and walked towards the couple, favoring her injured foot. "That way, the two of you will surely not be bothered," she added with a roguish smile.

Yukari relaxed when she realized that the professor was letting them off easily. "I'll take your advice to heart, Sagara-san."

Skye nodded her head in approval and cocked her head at the still blushing Mitsuru. "Shall I leave the two of you to continue your make out session or shall I bring you to the best place to do the said activity in this library?" she asked with mock seriousness, smiling inwardly when her redheaded student reacted violently.

"Skye-san!" Mitsuru gasped, turning her face away to hide her embarrassment. "That is not funny!"

The blue-haired older woman chuckled in amusement. "Perhaps I was being a bit callous when I said that," she admitted, smoothing her hair. "The only thing I found funny was in fact your reaction, Mitsuru." She glanced over her shoulder and spotted a bunch of her students settling down on tables with their chosen materials. "I'll leave the two of you now," she told the couple. "I have to get back to my students." Skye began to walk out of the aisle when Mitsuru grabbed hold of her sleeve. "What is it Mitsuru?"

"Thanks…" the redhead said. "We would have indeed been in a lot of trouble if you didn't cover for us," Mitsuru explained further when the unconventional professor raised an eyebrow at her. "Is your foot alright?"

"Bruised," Skye replied. "Just like my pride," added, her dismay resounding in her voice. "I'll manage though so you don't need to worry. Don't the two of you want to get out of here and go on your date?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Actually Skye-san, I think Yukari and I will just have our date around the campus," Mitsuru told the older woman. "My chauffeur won't be coming for another two hours so we'll just hang around until he arrives," she explained, ignoring the confused look on her girlfriend's face.

Skye crossed her arms over her chest and shifted her weight onto her uninjured foot. "What are you trying to get to Mitsuru?" she asked.

"I feel guilty for what happened to you," the redhead admitted, looking ashamed. "I lost myself for a moment and if you weren't there, we would have gotten into trouble." Wrapping an arm around Yukari's waist and pulling her close, Mitsuru then directed a smile at her professor. "What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to offer you a ride home after your class."

The jade-eyed woman shook her head. "That isn't necessary Mitsuru," she told the student. "I've had worse injuries than this including a nasty leg fracture from a motorcycle accident. This," she pointed at her foot. "Is nothing compared to that."

"It would make me feel better at least if you allowed me to give you a ride back to your apartment," Mitsuru insisted. "I also have another reason for wanting to drop you off," she added, grasping her sprained shoulder. "I'm deemed fit enough to ride my motorcycle again," she announced. "I don't want to trouble you anymore especially since you've been caring for my Ducati bike so I'm planning to pick it up today."

A sigh escaped from ex-heiress of the Thierry Corporation. "Alright then, Mitsuru," Skye agreed. "I'll take up your offer just for today." She shoved her borrowed books back onto the shelves. "Where shall I meet you?"

"Will you be heading back to the faculty building after this?"

Skye shook her head. "I got all my things here with me and I was originally planning to commute right after this class," she told them.

"How about we'll just pick you up at the entrance of the library?" the former student council president of Gekkoukan high school suggested. "It'll be easier for the both us, since your foot is bothering you and it's easier to exit the school campus from this building." Mitsuru lightly pushed Yukari towards the exit and bowed to Skye. "We'll see you in a few hours then, Skye-san." She and Yukari walked out of the library, foregoing speech since they were still inside.

"Senpai!" Yukari whined as she and the crimson-eyed girl broke out into the courtyard. "I thought we were going to have our date outside!"

Mitsuru reached up and lightly ruffled her lover's hair. "I know I promised you that we'd go out somewhere," she began, leading Yukari to a quaint café. "But I owe Skye-san a lot especially since she just saved the both of us from a disciplinary case and possible expulsion or suspension from our schools," she continued her explanation. The redhead ran her fingers through her hair as she thought of what else to say. "Besides, I still have to thank her for putting up with me for a night a few weeks ago."

"Wait a minute!" Yukari cried out, stopping in her tracks. "When you told me that you slept over at a friend's place after you overreacted, you were pertaining to Sagara-san?" A deep scowl formed on the shorter girl's face.

Mitsuru raised an eyebrow at the odd behavior her lover was showing. "I thought I told you already. Skye-san just happened to be taking my Ducati bike for a test drive when she picked me up," she explained. "I wasn't exactly myself at that time so she took me back to her apartment to calm me down."

Yukari continued to scowl at Mitsuru. "So after calming down, why did you have to sleep over?" She looked at the library, shooting daggers at it with her honey-brown eyes.

Realization finally dawned upon Mitsuru as a small smile tugged on her lips. "There was a storm that hit unexpectedly that night, Yukari," she told the girl. "Skye-san was concerned about my well-being and offered to let me spend the night." She gazed at her somewhat seething lover with a sidelong glance. "Come morning, she also gave me a ride to your high school so that I could apologize to you."

"You must have enjoyed yourself," Yukari growled, jealousy evident in her eyes and voice despite the smile that played on her lips.

Mitsuru controlled herself enough to not laugh aloud because of Yukari's violent reaction. She decided to tease her a bit more. "Actually, I enjoyed myself quite a bit especially when I shared her bed." She set a finger thoughtfully on her chin. "I didn't realize that spooning with an older woman who has more curves than someone I know is actually quite... comforting."

"You slept in the same bed?!" Yukari sputtered angrily. "I can't believe you! It's been barely a month since we've been together and you're already sleeping with other women behind my back!" She whirled around and began to stride away from the chuckling Mitsuru.

"Hey now!" Mitsuru grabbed hold of Yukari's hand and pulled her back. "Now who's the one overreacting?" She made Yukari face her then reached up to caress her cheek. "I slept in the same bed with Skye-san, but I did not sleep with her," she assured her lover, running the pads of her fingers over the smooth surface of Yukari's face.

The hazel-haired high school student relaxed under the caress of Mitsuru. She looked into those crimson orbs... searching. "You really didn't sleep with her?"

Mitsuru gently pinched Yukari's nose as she shook her head. "No," she replied. "I decided quite some time ago that if I was going to sleep with someone, it would be in my lover's dorm room," she continued seriously, feeling delighted at the fierce blush that roved Yukari's well-featured face. Leaning down slightly to whisper in her ear, Mitsuru let out huskily, "We could do that after we drop Skye-san off and after I pick up my bike." She made sure every breathy word she said hit the sensitive skin of Yukari's ear.

"A-Are you sure?" Yukari stuttered when Mitsuru pulled away.

Mitsuru nodded and winked. "I trust our friends won't be bothering us since you all live in different dormitories?" She took hold of Yukari's hand once more and led her towards the nearest café. "Come on. I need a drink!" She gave the younger girl a teasing look. "I do have to get myself ready for later."

"Senpai! Stop teasing!"

* * *

"Drive to the garage. Your Ducati is parked there."

Mitsuru nodded her head and pointed out the apartment's garage to her chauffeur. After she and Yukari spent their time drinking tea and chatting in the campus café, her chauffeur picked them up. They then made their way to library to pick up the blue-haired professor who still walked with a slight limp. Yukari was still rather jealous of Skye so Mitsuru took it upon herself to sit in between the two at the backseat of her car

Skye let out a sigh as the car parked just outside of the garage. "Here we are," she told them, opening the door and stepping out. "Let me give the bike a last going over before you take it home." She bent down and grabbed hold of the bottom of the garage door. With a grunt, the young professor lifted the door up.

"Awesome display of strength, huh?" Yukari muttered and let out a surprised cry when Mitsuru elbowed her ribs sharply. "What? I didn't mean anything bad by it!" She scowled and rubbed the afflicted area.

"Stop with this jealousy, Yukari," Mitsuru whispered at the younger girl. "Need I remind you that there is nothing between me and Skye-san?"

Honey-brown eyes stared back at those crimson orbs. "It's natural for lovers to feel that way," Yukari retorted.

Mitsuru frowned and opened her mouth to scold her lover some more when her professor called her closer. "What is it Skye-san?"

Skye was squatting beside the bike and running her hands against the surface. "Everything is fine," she told Mitsuru with a smile. "You might want to head over to the closest gas station and fill up the tank," she added, getting back up to her feet. "I should have done that a few days ago, but I was quite busy." She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I had to balance a few jobs and care for my father at the same time."

Mitsuru gave Skye a grateful smile. "It's alright Skye-san," she assured the older woman. "I could bring it to the gas station myself and I perfectly understand how busy you are."

"So I assume you'll be riding the bike home?" Skye asked as she stepped away from the bike. "I could lend you a pair of helmets, but you'll hassle yourself to return it to me."

The heiress of the Kirijo group shook her head. "I have a pair of helmets in the rear compartment of the company car," she informed the tall woman. "Thanks for everything, Skye-san!" She bowed deeply to thank the Thierry Corporation's runaway heiress turned professor and mechanic.

"Anything else?"

"Nothing else that I know of," Mitsuru replied, motioning her chauffeur over who held two helmets. "You may head back to the Kirijo group headquarters. I'll use my bike to get back home and I'll be dropping Yukari off at her dormitory." With a nod, the chauffeur handed the helmets over, got into the car and drove off.

Skye nodded. "Well then, make sure you drive safely," she reminded her student. "You wouldn't want to sprain your shoulder again or even get a worse injury."

Mitsuru laughed, grabbing hold of her bike's handlebars and kicking the kickstand up. "I'll be sure to do that," she replied, pushing the bike out of the garage. Putting on her helmet and straddling the Ducati, Mitsuru then offered the other helmet to Yukari and waited for her to get on behind her. "I'll see you next week then, Skye-san!" She waved goodbye to her professor before igniting the engines and rocketing down the deserted road.

"Hey! Don't go too fast!" Yukari shouted over the roar of the bike's engines. "You should listen to Sagara-san's advice!"

Mitsuru laughed and twisted the gas handle bar harder. "If I don't go fast, we won't have enough time to spend with each other in _your_ dorm room!" she shouted back, feeling her lover's arms tighten around her waist. She knew somehow that the girl behind her was probably blushing beneath her helmet.

The sun was setting when Mitsuru cruised to a stop at the front of Yukari's dormitory. Kicking down the kickstand, Mitsuru pulled off her helmet and shook her long crimson hair out. "Enjoyed the ride?" She twisted in her seat to check on the state of her lover. "It was your first time to ride with me on my bike right?"

Yukari shakily got off the bike and pulled off her helmet. "Too fast for me to enjoy," she told Mitsuru, wiping the sweat off her forehead. "Do you always go that fast? It felt like we were going way over the speed limit."

Mitsuru chuckled and got off the bike. "You worry too much," she told the younger girl, taking their helmets and setting them onto the seat of her bike. "I was driving below the speed limit," she paused and furrowed her eyebrows when Yukari frowned. "Oh alright! I was driving at _exactly _the speed limit," she surrendered.

"Well I guess I could forgive you…" Yukari replied, taking hold of Mitsuru's hand and twining their fingers together. "I'd probably do the same if I was in your place. You didn't really like riding a car and being dependent on your chauffeur for the last few months, huh?"

Mitsuru nodded her head. "It was… annoying," she said. "People often expect that the children of the wealthy grow up to be spoiled and dependent. I like to claim that I do not fall under that category." For a moment, a hard look formed on her face. "From the start, I taught myself to be independent. I forced myself to learn how to control my persona so that I could protect my father and other innocent people. My life wasn't easy despite the common conception that the rich have it easy." The redhead frowned deeply.

Yukari stepped forward and affectionately hugged the older girl. "You've got your independence back," she said softly. "Little by little, you are also getting the freedom you deserve. The chains of the Kirijo group cannot continue to imprison you." The hazel-haired girl pulled away slightly and smiled up at her lover. "I'm sure things will start going your way with time." With that said, Yukari tugged at Mitsuru's hand and led them through the entrance of her dormitory. "Come on! You did say that we might not have enough time to spend with each other in my room!" She winked suggestively at the auburn-haired beauty.

Mitsuru chuckled as she and Yukari treaded onto the main lobby of the dormitory. "You are right as always, _mi amour_,"she replied, turning her head so that Yukari, who had gone up to her tiptoes, could give her kiss.

"Mitsuru?!" A man's startled deep voice called out.

"Yuka-tan?! What the hell are you doing?!"

Yukari froze just before she could kiss Mitsuru when she heard those two familiar voices. She slowly turned her face away from her lover and looked in horror at the equally horrified looks on her friend's faces. "Oh no…" she whispered breathlessly, feeling her face heat up rapidly.

Mitsuru had a similar shocked expression on her face, which quickly turned blank. She met those astonished and perhaps disgusted faces of Fuuka, Junpei and Akihiko with somberness. She had not wanted to reveal her relationship to her other friends, but it seemed like she had no choice but to give them an explanation.

The one thing that kept her relieved was the understanding look on Minato's face as he put a hand on each of Junpei and Akihiko's shoulders. "Now now," he told his three friends. "There's no reason for any of us to get angry." He smiled at Mitsuru and Yukari who still stood by the door. "I'm sure that our two friends are willing to explain themselves to us."

"Hell…" Akihiko muttered, sitting heavily on one of the lobby's couches.

Fuuka gave a shaky smile. "I'm not angry," she told everyone. "I'm just really surprised with… what's happening."

Minato pushed Junpei onto the couch. "You too, Mister Loudmouth. You better sit down and listen to this before you start blabbing things that shouldn't be said or found out by the public." Minato also took a seat on the couch's armrest as he motioned for Mitsuru and Yukari to come forward.

Mitsuru let out a long sigh before grabbing hold of Yukari's hand, squeezing it reassuringly and leading her towards their friends. She first smiled at Minato then nodded stiffly at the disapproving faces of Junpei and Akihiko. "We'll explain ourselves," she told them. "We will try to answer your questions to the best of our capabilities."

Junpei was the first to ask his question. "What the hell is going on between you and Mitsuru-senpai?" he almost yelled, softening his voice when Minato shushed him. "You looked like you were going to kiss her, Yuka-tan!"

"I _was_ going to kiss her, Stupei!" Yukari retorted, turning away as her face turned crimson. "I'm sure you're smart enough to figure out what that means!" she growled. "There are quite a few manga collections I've seen in your room that portray _that _theme."

Fuuka looked confused for a few seconds before she realized what Yukari was talking about. "Oh…" she let out, turning red herself. "So Yukari-chan, you are a…" she paused.

"_Lesbian?!"_ Junpei stuttered and leaned limply against the couch's backrest.

Yukari scowled. "So what if I am?" she demanded. "Is it really all that bad?"

Junpei held his face with his hands. "All those good looking guys mooning over you," he started. "Not even one of them caught your interest and it turns out you like girls!" The goateed young man looked up and stared at his classmate. "Looks and status can sure be deceiving," he remarked.

"What did you mean by that, Stupei?!" Yukari demanded, fuming at the implied insult just given to her.

"Yukari..." Mitsuru warned, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against her body. "I agree that looks and status could be deceiving, but I would think that the two of you," she gestured at Junpei and Akihiko. "Would be at a level to understand that _this _is a common thing in this day and age," she continued. "Akihiko, I thought you'd be the first person to understand that especially with your maturity."

The platinum-haired boxer grunted. "I do accept the fact that homosexual relationships are common in this day and age, but I never said that I would be able to easily accept that two of my friends are involved in one. What makes it even worse is that these two friends are involved with each other."

"Akihiko-senpai," Fuuka cut in. "Don't tell me you plan to break Yukari-chan and Mitsuru-senpai apart!" She folded her hands on top of her lap. "Yukari-chan and Mitsuru-senpai have always been the ones from our group of friends who have experienced the most hardship and suffering. They were both lonely, but found solace and company from each other." The young inventor smiled at her two friends. "So you see, I personally don't see anything wrong with their relationship. Akihiko-senpai and Junpei-kun should feel the same," she pointed out while looking expectantly at the two young men.

Junpei muttered something intelligible before rubbing the back of his neck. "Well… as long as Mitsuru-senpai and Yuka-tan are happy, then I guess I'm alright with this," he offered. "It never crossed my mind that all those times you were ditching us, you were actually spending time with senpai."

Yukari's anger seemed to have lost its edge after hearing Junpei accept her relationship with Mitsuru. "You were always so dense Stupei!" She smirked. "Weren't you suspicious that senpai and I were getting quite chummy when we were all still in high school?"

"I figured the two of you were really close," Junpei muttered.

"And you Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked her oldest friend.

The boxer let out another grunt, crossing his legs and placing his arms over his chest. "As long as it makes you happy, Mitsuru," he replied, a bit bitterly. "I just can't believe the three of us lost to a girl," he added, eyebrows furrowing as he scowled.

"What?" Mitsuru asked, looking confused.

Minato was blushing as he explained. "We used to compete for the… girls in our group. You were quite popular, senpai," he reminded the heiress. "Akihiko-san has had the longest crush on you among us guys. He has every right to be bitter since he lost you to Yukari-chan."

"We're still friends right, Akihiko-senpai?" Yukari asked teasingly albeit hiding her worry behind a mask of mock cheeriness.

Akihiko let out another grunt and looked away. "We'll see. I don't like losing and despite the fact that this battle has already been won, I know I can't fight and reclaim victory." The boxer gave a small smile at both Yukari and Mitsuru. "Now, what were the two of you planning to do if the rest of us weren't here in the lobby."

Yukari shook her head furiously. "Nothing!" she let out. "Mitsuru-senpai was just dropping me off!"

"Oh really?" Akihiko asked, raising an eyebrow at both girls. "I'm guessing the two of you had some _business _to attend to in a certain someone's dorm room." He laughed as Yukari became even more flustered at his comment. "Anyway, since your attempt was foiled, how about we all go out and get some dinner?"

"Hell yeah! Another free meal on the way!" Junpei whooped with joy.

"I assume you're going to be handling this one, Mitsuru?" Akihiko asked, looking expectantly at his good friend. "You owe us for keeping this a secret."

Mitsuru released a defeated sigh. "Pick any restaurant you want then," she told her friends, reaching into her pants' pocket and pulling out her wallet. "I'll use my credit card to treat all of you. It's the least Yukari and I can do since we've been hiding our relationship."

Minato frowned at outcome of their talk. "This is quite unfair," he began. "When I found out that you and Yukari-chan were together, you threatened to execute me! How come they don't get the same treatment?" he grumbled as he followed his friends out of the dormitory.

Mitsuru glanced over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at the gray-eyed young man. "Who says they won't be getting the same treatment?" she retorted drily.

* * *

_**This is a really late upload, so I'd like to apologize to the readers. I devoted my time to finishing my other story. As of now since the story has already been completed, I will be putting my best efforts into this particular story. **_

_**Next chapter: Spying and humiliating punishment**_


	7. Spying and a Compromising Situation

_**A word of warning to the readers…**_

_**This chapter is rated M for sexual nature.**_

* * *

_Chapter 7: Spying and a Compromising Situation_

It was past ten in the morning when Skye made for the door of her father's small house. Her father had just been discharged from the hospital and was finally allowed to go home after almost two months. The blue-haired woman had assisted her father home and even helped him get settled. As the mechanic got comfortable in his bed, Skye got to the task of cleaning up the cluttered house. After cleaning and cooking a simple meal, the jade-eyed woman walked into her father's room. "I'm off, oto-san," she told the older man, rolling her sleeves up her arm.

Akira Sagara grunted an unintelligible reply as he sank into his mattress. "Where are you off to this time? Summer vacation has just started right?" he questioned his only daughter. "Don't tell me you still got work to do." He looked in dismay at the young woman who stood at his doorway.

Skye shook her head. "The students are on vacation so I don't have work to do," she replied. "The school kind I mean," she added, running her long fingers through her hair. "I do have to work for a living so I took a few summer jobs."

"What kind?" Akira asked, a bit curious that his well-bred daughter was taking up summer jobs.

The blue-haired woman counted the jobs on her fingers. "Well starting tomorrow, I'm going to be a swimming instructor for a bunch of kids at the public indoor swimming pool every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I got hired to deliver packages at this delivery service place. They said I could work for them on my free days, which are Tuesdays and Thursdays," she explained. "Then on Saturday evenings, I'll be playing bartender at some bar in Paulownia Mall."

"Don't overwork yourself," Akira told his daughter in a gruff voice. He wasn't the affectionate type of father, but he clearly loved his daughter.

"Don't worry about me, oto-san," she assured her father. "You should be worrying more about your health. Now don't forget that you can't do any work for a few days. If you get hungry, just head to the kitchen and have the food I prepared for you." She stuffed her hands into her pockets. "I'm off to visit an old friend."

"Old friend?" Akira raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Which old friend is this specifically?"

"From Iwatodai strip, oto-san," Skye replied, looking serious.

"That _old friend?_" The mechanic demanded, the blood draining from his face. "You're planning to visit that _place_? You're old enough to know what that _place_ does, right?" He covered his eyes with his hand.

Skye chuckled and turned on her heel. "I've known what that establishment has been doing ever since I was still a kid, oto-san," she reminded her father. "Besides, I'm due for a visit especially since I owe this old friend a few things."

Akira Sagara let out a defeated sigh. "I can't stop you from going there, but just take care of yourself there."

"I will oto-san. Get some sleep." Skye waved goodbye to her father and headed out of the house.

"By the way Skye," Akira called out. "Check out my garage. A shipment just arrived from London from your grandparents. The delivery men must have dropped it off a few days ago," he explained. "I unpacked it and made sure that it's in good shape. Take it with you, will you?" He snuggled deeper into his blankets.

Skye frowned and headed for the garage. "Something from my grandparents?" she muttered to herself. She strode into the garage and gawked at the familiar sight. The white alpine body with a black engine accented by blue rims still made the jade-eyed woman smile despite her bad feelings for her mother's parents. As she ran a hand over the BMW HP2 Sport bike, she could not help but reminisce about the past. She had just graduated magna cum laude from the London University and her grandparents had presented her with the motorcycle before her. She had protested the gift because of her memories of her mother, but eventually accepted it. The sleek BMW sport bike had become her favorite thing until she found out about the motives of her mother's family. She had left the bike behind when she travelled to Japan to make peace with her father and to start a new life.

"Are they trying to get back to my good side by doing this?" Skye said crossly, grabbing a spare helmet from the garage and boarding the sport bike. "It's going to take more than that for me to forgive them." She ignited the engines and sped down the road.

* * *

In front of the Wild Duck Burger at Iwatodai Station, a familiar redhead and a shorter hazel-haired girl stood at its doors. "Would you like to eat here instead?" Mitsuru asked her younger girlfriend. It was the second day of summer vacation and already the two decided that they should go on a date before they spent time with their friends.

Yukari cringed as she spotted the familiar green mascot of the fast food chain. "I ate here so much before summer started," she admitted with disgust. "Junpei absolutely loves this place so we ended up eating here far too many times after classes ended."

"That boy's going to end up having his stomach pumped with all the junk food he eats," Mitsuru shared, a smile forming on her face. "Speaking of Junpei, what are he and our other friends doing?"

Honey-brown eyes looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Well Junpei and Minato are working part time. I'm not sure if they're lifeguards at the beach or something similar to that. Fuuka's doing part time at an internet café and Aigis and Koromaru are helping out in hospitals."

"Hospitals?"

Yukari nodded and grinned. "You know! Koromaru's a therapy dog and Aigis is his handler," she replied. "They started a few days ago and I heard the kids absolutely love Koromaru." She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "As for Ken-kun, he has kendo practice for an upcoming tournament. I'm not sure what Akihiko-senpai is doing for the summer though," she added.

"Oh he'll be training as usual," Mitsuru told her lover. "He's so focused on boxing that he forgets that he has a life." She led the younger girl away from the fast food chain. "So where do you want to go then, Yukari?" she asked as they walked down the Iwatodai strip.

"Anywhere else is fine with me, senpai," Yukari replied, turning her head as the familiar roar of a motorcycle engine filled her ears.

Mitsuru let out as low whistle. "_C'est étonnant!_" she exclaimed as a large motorcycle drove past them and halted at a nearby parking lot.

"Huh? Translate please!" Yukari told her lover as she looked at the stylish motorcycle.

Mitsuru shook her head. "Sorry," she apologized with a sheepish grin. "I said 'that is amazing' in French."

Yukari frowned. "So you were referring to that motorcycle?" She let out a disgruntled groan and crossed her arms over her chest. "I was actually hoping you were referring to me."

The auburn-haired heiress wrapped an arm around the slightly shorter girl's waist and pulled her against her body. "You are far more than amazing to me, _mon amour_," Mitsuru assured the younger girl. She turned to observe the bike and let out a long hum of admiration. "The bike caught my eye because it's one of the best around," she started. "That's a BMW HP2 sport bike and it's quite expensive to own. 

There are few people from around here who could afford it." She peered at the rider who was pulling off his helmet and let out a small gasp as she recognized the shock of blue-black hair. "Skye-san?"

"What's she doing here?" Yukari asked with a frown on her face. "She's quite far off from the university she teaches in!" Disdain made the high school senior's honey-brown eyes dark.

"Now now..." Mitsuru soothed her girlfriend. "It's summer vacation after all and even professionals have a life." She looked thoughtful as she watched her professor leave the BMW bike and make her way towards another part of Iwatodai. "But I am a bit curious what she's doing here," she admitted, tugging on Yukari's hand.

"Well let's follow her then!" Yukari suggested, also curious. She and Mitsuru stealthily chased after the jade-eyed woman through street after street until they found themselves at an ever so familiar area of Iwatodai. "What is she planning to do at... this place?" Her delicate eyebrows furrowed as she frowned deeply at the surrounding love hotels and motels around them.

Mitsuru also frowned deeply as she peeked around a wall corner and kept an eye on the walking figure of the older woman they were following. She and her other friends had bad memories of this particular area of Iwatodai. Disposing of a particular shadow in a nearby love hotel that had played with their minds in a malicious manner had not been very enjoyable for them. "What could she possibly be doing here? An errand?"

"Maybe she's looking for company," Yukari snickered, shock registering on her face when they saw their target actually stop in front of the entrance of a modern-day brothel. "I was just kidding! I didn't think she'd actually do that!" The hazel-haired student began to worry that her lover would take what she said against her.

"She's going in!" Mitsuru exclaimed, jumping out of their hiding place and motioning for Yukari to follow her. "Come on! I see a window that we could use!" She and the hazel-haired archer jogged towards the rather colorful building.

Sneaking into an alleyway, both girls carefully stood by a window and peeked inside the well-furnished establishment. "Did you ever wonder if Sagara-san liked women, senpai?" Yukari asked in a whisper.

"She mentioned that she had a few female suitors back when she was still in high school and college, but she never was interested," Mitsuru replied, feeling a little bit doubtful with what she said.

Yukari pressed her face closer to the glass to get a better view. "If she wasn't interested in women, there's a male brothel on the other end of this street," Yukari pointed out. "Oh look, Sagara-san has company," she said in sarcasm, biting back a cry of pain when her lover sharply elbowed her ribs.

"Hush!" Mitsuru hissed, ducking down so that she wouldn't be seen by the group of women who had walked into the lobby of the establishment to meet with the blue-haired professor.

* * *

"How strange for us to get a customer at this time of the day!" A blonde-haired woman with a voluptuous body stepped forward and sized up their visitor with curious eyes.

Another woman, this time with ebony-brown hair and much smaller than the first woman, circled around Skye who had a blank and uninterested look on her face. "It is strange to get customers at this time of the day, but it's even more unusual that we have a woman as a customer!"

"I wouldn't mind having this one as a customer though!" A woman who looked like a teenager exclaimed, while winking suggestively at Skye. "She's _very_ good looking and not to mention physically fit!" Her eyes traced the tall figure of Skye. "Way fitter than the men we have to entertain every night!"

Four other women who worked in the brothel an as scantily dressed as the other women walked into the lobby to see what the commotion was about. "Hey! Don't hog the customer!" someone called out.

"Guy or girl, it's the customer who gets to pick which of us they want to spend time with!" The large group of women started to argue loudly with each other while Skye simply shook her head.

The jade-eyed professor cleared her throat as she stuffed her hands into her jeans' pockets. "Pardon me ladies," she began, offering a polite smile when the women all turned their heads to look at her. "I came here to simply inquire about something."

The blonde with the voluptuous body came forward and circled around Skye with her hand travelling from Skye's shoulder, across her back and onto the other shoulder. "What is your inquiry then?" she asked with a sultry voice.

Skye blinked once as a reaction to the blonde's advances and continued to look uninterested. "Is there someone from your work force named Kagami?" she asked, noting the surprised looks on the women's faces.

"What business do you have with her? She does not associate with just anyone, pretty eyes," the blonde-haired woman replied. "Besides, why pick her when you could pick any of us?" she added, spurring more noisy argument among the brothel's women.

"Ladies," Skye tried, stepping back as the women stepped towards her. She was just about to walk out of the brothel when a piercing and deep voice sounded from the top of the stairs.

"What's this ruckus about? It's too early for you girls to get this noisy!"

"Sorry boss, but there's this girl here who's been asking for you," a prostitute apologized, while she and some other women pointed at the unexpected visitor. "We tried telling her that you rarely take customers these days though, but she refused to accept that."

Skye this time raised her voice to defend herself. "My intentions here are misunderstood. I merely asked if there was a woman named Kagami working here." She scowled deeply at the different aged prostitutes around her and wondered if this visit was actually worth her time and effort. "These ladies jumped to conclusions and assumed I was a customer."

"But boss!"

"Quiet!" The boss of the brothel shouted from the top of the stairs. This particular lady looked to be in her mid-thirties, but still had the supple body of a teenager. As she made her way down the flight of stairs, her long raven-black hair cascaded down her back and her cobalt blue eyes were filled with experience and maturity. The women all stepped aside when their boss stepped foot onto the lobby and watched as she walked towards the still scowling Skye Sagara.

Skye's eyes widened in recognition as the so-called boss of the brothel stepped towards her. Despite the fact that she had been living on the other side of the world for the last twelve years, Skye still easily recognized the woman who stood before her. "It slipped my mind that it was a likely possibility that you would become the head of this brothel," she told the shorter woman.

"My skills as an _entertainer_ are to be acknowledged," the raven-haired woman replied, tilting her head slightly as she looked closely at her visitor. "You have certainly grown in the last twelve years, jade eyes," she used the old nickname she had given Skye long before. "I'm a bit dismayed that you are actually taller than I am now," she added with a smile.

Skye shrugged and took her hands out of her pockets. "I didn't have a say with how tall I was going to be, Kagami one-san." The blue-haired professor smiled shyly. "I was hoping that you'd still be around."

Kagami began to laugh then put out her arms to embrace the older and much taller Skye. "For a while I almost forgot that you were that crybaby kid I picked up at that deserted park!" She took Skye's face into her hands and looked at her closely, her face mere inches away. "Twelve years in London certainly did a lot for you!"

Skye nodded her head, grabbed hold of Kagami's hands and brought them away from her slightly reddening face. "Just because I'm older now doesn't mean that you can still tease me, one-san!" she scolded, trying to ignore the surprised looks of the other women in the lobby.

"You know this person, boss lady?"

Kagami nodded to her underlings. "Why don't we head into the common room and have some tea? I can explain this and catch up with jade eyes over here at the same time," she suggested, towing Skye into another room filled with couches and a few coffee tables. After seating Skye by her side on one couch and a few of the prostitutes on the other couches, Kagami leaned back and gazed with interest at the woman by her side. "So what brings you back here to Japan, Skye-chan?"

"Must you call me that?" Skye muttered, turning red as the women around her giggled. "To put it simply, I got into a fight with my mother's family and I decided to move back here and take care of my dad." She ran a hand through her hair. "He's got cancer," she informed her.

"Boss! I thought you were going to explain who this girl is!"

Kagami waved her hand and frowned. "I will after I have my talk with Skye-chan!" She turned to focus her attention once more at the blue-haired woman, but got distracted when three other prostitutes came into the room with two unknown strangers between them. "What now? More visitors?" she demanded, eying the newcomers.

"We caught these two spying through one of our windows." The women pushed their prisoners forward. "You did make it clear that even looking at us requires payment so we brought them in."

Skye dropped her head into her hands and swore. "Mitsuru," she growled. "Must you always follow me around?" She glared at the flustered heiress of the Kirijo group through her fingers. "And this time, you had to bring your girlfriend along!"

Kagami raised her eyebrows at the developing situation before her. "You know these girls, Skye-chan?" she asked, getting to her feet and standing before Mitsuru and Yukari.

"The redhead is my student at the university I teach in and the other girl there is her girlfriend," Skye replied, leaning back heavily and crossing her arms over her chest. "The two of you have been quite nosy." She narrowed her jade-green eyes at the younger women.

"Hey! It's not our fault!" Yukari cried out. "How can a professor go to a brothel?" she demanded. "And to think you're Mitsuru-senpai's friend!" The archery team captain swiped at a hand that was warningly placed on her arm. "What business do you have in this place anyway!"

"Yukari, please calm down," Mitsuru told her lover. She glanced at the scowling professor and cleared her throat. "I apologize Skye-san, but I just couldn't help but follow you especially when you got to this _area_." She looked nervously around her.

Kagami walked back to the couch and sank into it once more, gesturing for Mitsuru and Yukari to do the same. "It's better if we straighten out this misunderstanding before we continue our conversation, Skye-chan," she winked teasingly at her.

Yukari goggled at the sight and opened her mouth to comment, but couldn't because of Mitsuru's scalding look.

"What do you want to ask?" Kagami looked at the two young women sitting before her.

"How is it that you know Skye-san?" Mitsuru asked, glancing at her professor.

"Oh I met Skye-chan when she was still a kid," the raven-haired woman started. "I was heading back here after an _appointment _and I took a shortcut through a park. That's where I found Skye-chan alone sitting under the shade of a tree. I had planned to ignore her, but then I noticed she was crying." She flipped her long hair over her shoulder.

"Crying?" Mitsuru clarified.

"My mother just died recently that time," Skye supplied, her green eyes darkening.

"Oh."

Kagami lightly slapped Skye on her arm and reached up to ruffle the younger woman's blue hair. "Being depressed doesn't suit you, Skye-chan," she reminded. "Anyway, I thought that she was lost so I tried asking her where she lived, but she wouldn't tell me. She didn't want to go home apparently. Your father was drinking a lot that time right?"

Skye nodded stiffly. "It was his way out of depression when oka-san died."

Kagami let out a sigh and locked eyes with Mitsuru. "It was getting dark already at that time and I didn't want to leave her alone. That particular area used to be a dangerous place back then so I decided to bring her back to the brothel with me."

"Oh now I remember her!" Another prostitute exclaimed from the doorway. "She's that kid you brought home and took care of for nearly a month."

Yukari stared at Skye intently. "You lived in this brothel for a month?! You were still a kid!"

"I had no choice. I didn't want to go back home to a father who was almost always drunk." Skye's emphatic reply silenced the hazel-haired girl. "Satisfied with my answer or should I say are you taken aback by my past?"

"Skye-chan…" Kagami warned then turned to look at the hazel-haired girl. "Even ex-heiresses have skeletons in their closets," she told Yukari. "The former boss was kind enough to allow Skye-chan to stay in the brothel when I brought her back."

"What did Skye-san do while she lived here?" Mitsuru looked at her surroundings.

"Oh she did some kitchen work for us, cooking and washing dishes and the like," Kagami explained. She set a finger on her chin and looked thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "Other than that, she usually kept to herself in my room and provided us ladies amusement," she added with a small smile.

"Amusement?" Mitsuru raised her eyebrows in confusion.

"You got to admit, it was really fun to tease a kid who'd blush so easily!" Kagami laughed. "Just looking at her all grown up now, I can tell it won't be as easy anymore."

"Don't remind me," Skye muttered.

Mitsuru squeezed her hands together on her lap. "It's still a little bit hard to believe," she admitted, alternating her gaze on Kagami and Skye. "May I also mention that it's hard to imagine especially with the way Skye-san is now," she added, looking apologetically at her professor.

Kagami let out a deep chuckle. "Well I did mention that Skye-chan here changed a lot since the last time I saw her," she informed everyone else in the room. Her eyes narrowed slightly, looking as if she was remembering something from the past. "I can remember perfectly how I first met her and how I ended up caring for her in this very brothel…"

* * *

_Twelve years ago…_

* * *

A young Kagami Tsuchiya walked briskly along a not so crowded street. She was dressed in a tight mini skirt, spaghetti-strapped top and a bolero worn on top of it. There was purpose in her stride, but there was a deep frown on her face. She had just come from meeting a middle-aged man who had decided to pay her less than half of the agreed payment and now she had to go back to the brothel and explain to the boss lady why she will be only giving half the amount expected.

"Damn men…" Kagami muttered, digging a cigarette out of her purse holding it between her lips as she looked for her lighter. She ignored the hostile looks being given to her by the people around her. "I'll take a shortcut." The young woman with luscious raven-black hair quickly walked into a deserted park while taking in long drags from her lit cigarette. She had just turned twenty-years old and would have been in a good university if not for her rebellious attitude towards her family. She had wanted to go independent, but her parents had kept a tight leash around her until she decided to go off on her own. Things had not gone too well for the raven-haired beauty until she was recruited into a brothel rising in popularity.

"And here I am now trying to make a living!" Kagami walked off the path and went across the grass. As soon as she spotted the other exit of the park, she picked up her pace only to slow down when she spotted a hunched figure under a lone tree. Curious as to why there was someone hunched under a 

tree in an empty park, Kagami took a detour and walked up the small hill to check on the person. She was surprised to find a young girl sitting on the ground and hugging her knees to her chest. "Lonely kid?" Kagami leaned against the trunk of the tree, dropping her cigarette and extinguishing it with her foot.

The young girl looked up slightly and regarded the raven-haired beauty with sad jade-green eyes. "Lonely? Nah…" the girl replied shaking her head as her long blue hair tied in a ponytail whipped from side to side. "I just like staying here."

Kagami raised her elegant eyebrows. "You're a strange kid," she pointed out, leaning around the tree trunk and getting a closer look at the girl's face. She recognized the familiar tearstain tracks on the blue-haired girl's thin face. "If you're not lonely then it must mean you're lost then. Where do you live kid? I'll be happy to bring you back to your home."

"You don't need to," came the emphatic reply from the girl.

"Is it weird for a kid to be spending time with a prostitute?" Kagami questioned, wondering if the young girl actually thought that way about her.

The girl shook her head. "I know what you do and it doesn't bother me at all," she replied. "Don't get me wrong, but I just don't want to go home." She looked up at the darkening skies and let out a long and heavy sigh.

Kagami let out a sigh of her own and sat heavily on the grass beside the girl. "What's your name, jade eyes?" she asked. "I don't want to keep referring to you as 'kid' or 'jade eyes'," she explained when the blue-haired girl gave her a confused look.

"Skye…" the girl replied. "Skye Sagara."

"Hmmm…" Kagami hummed in thought. "I like calling you jade eyes, but I'll start calling you Skye-chan from now on. So if you don't want to go home, then it must mean that there's a problem at home," she hypothesized. "Would you like to tell me your reason for hanging around this place at this time without any company?"

Skye remained silent for a few seconds, looking reluctant to open up to the relatively young prostitute. After a few more seconds of silence, she finally spoke, "It's been getting really bad back at home," she began in a soft voice. "Oto-san's has been getting himself drunk each day and night."

"An alcoholic?" Kagami asked.

Skye shook her head. "He only started drinking a lot recently."

"What for?"

"Oka-san…" the blue-haired girl whispered. "She passed away almost a week ago. I tried to keep living in the same house with my dad, but it got a bit scary." She shuddered, hugging her knees tightly. "He'd get really violent most nights."

Kagami gazed thoughtfully at Skye. "So you've been spending your time here?" she asked, looking shocked. "Since when did you start hanging around this place?" She was starting to get worried for the kid. "You do know that this place is a popular hangout for gangsters!"

"I know, but there's no other place for me to go to," Skye replied sadly.

The raven-haired woman sucked in a sharp breath and pushed herself up to her feet. Holding her hand out to the girl, she smiled and said, "Come on."

Skye looked at the outstretched hand reproachfully. "I told you, I'm not going home!"

"Who says I'm going to take you back to your home?" Kagami asked. "Look Skye-chan. I'm worried for you and I don't want to leave you alone in this place. It gets dangerous especially when it gets dark." She flipped her hair over her shoulder. Besides, she was almost the same as Skye a few years back. All the running away from home and keeping away from the parents was the kind of thing she did.

"Where are you planning to take me then?" Skye hesitantly placed her hand into Kagami's hand and allowed herself to be pulled back up to her feet.

Kagami dusted her behind and patted Skye on the head. "I'm taking you back to _my _home." She kept her hold around Skye's smaller hand. "Come along, Skye-chan. I'll take care of you," she promised, leading them out of the park.

* * *

As expected, Kagami received a blistering lecture from the boss lady of the brothel. Other than that, the formidable woman who ruled their brothel seemed to have developed a soft spot for the charming blue-haired girl Kagami had brought home with her. "A new trainee and potential recruit?" the woman asked.

Kagami shook her head furiously. "Of course not, boss lady!" she exclaimed.

"Oh I see…" she twirled a lock of her hair with her fingers. "A pet then?" she gazed at the nervous looking Skye with a raised eyebrow on her forehead.

"Boss!" Kagami cried, taking a step forward and pulling Skye behind her body. "She's not a pet too! She's just a young friend of mine I want to take care of for the meantime," she explained. "She's been having a hard time dealing with an alcoholic dad at home and no one's been taking care of her." She looked worriedly at her boss. "Can she stay here in the brothel with me?"

"As long as she helps out," the leader of the brothel agreed. "Not in _our_ way though. She can earn her keep by doing other things around here." She pressed a hard look on the young girl. "Understand girl? You can room with Kagami as long as you do work. Do you know how to do kitchen work?"

Skye nodded stiffly, feeling intimidated by the boss of the brothel. "I helped out a lot back at home," she replied.

"You can also do cleanup in the mornings and afternoons before we open up at night," the boss added, satisfied with the jobs she just assigned to their newest boarder. "I want you to follow these ground rules, little girl." She paced in front of Kagami and Skye. "We can't provide you with any clothes so Kagami will accompany you back to your home to get some. Once you start living here, I don't want to see you in our entertainment area from five in the afternoon to the wee hours of the morning." She gave an extra glare at Kagami to make her point. "Seeing a minor working in our establishment would get us into a lot of trouble. Next, you must absolutely not communicate with any of the customers and try to keep out of sight. Lastly, don't communicate with the other ladies of the brothel unless they're off duty. Are we clear?"

"Yes boss lady," Skye replied with a respectful bow.

"Good," the woman replied. "Kagami, bring her to the kitchens so that she could get firsthand experience of her job." She then went up the stairs and disappeared into a room.

Kagami shook her head and towed Skye towards the kitchens. "Come along, Skye-chan. I'll introduce you to the kitchen staff before I bring you up to our room. Then maybe I'll have some time to introduce you to the other brothel ladies."

* * *

A week had passed and Skye had easily adapted to the new lifestyle she was living. It was a bit awkward at first to be associating with women with that kind of job, but with Kagami's company, she easily befriended the brothel ladies. All the women in the brothel had grown to like the quiet, but very polite girl who could cook good meals and do other odd jobs diligently. Even the boss became very fond of the girl, much to the amazement of the women.

Kagami was especially caring for her charge and often kept one eye on her as she did her work. She even made visits to Skye's home just to check the state of her drunken father. The other prostitutes would often tease her that she was training the girl to be her pet or toy, but she merely shrugged it off and cared for the blue-haired girl like she would her own sister or even daughter. She didn't realize that Skye was starting to care for her too until one particular night.

The raven-haired beauty had just finished her shift at the brothel and noiselessly trudged into her room, hoping not to wake her sleeping charge. It was a rough night for her and her body had taken quite a beating… literally. Kagami, who was clad in tight shorts and a bikini top, winced as she stretched her body and slipped off her stilettos. She and a bunch of her friends had to entertain a group of businessmen who were into the SM scenario. It was enjoyable for the men, but not so for Kagami and the rest of her friends. "Damn it!" she cursed, as she pressed a hand onto her aching back. "My back is killing me!"

"Kagami-san?" A sleepy voice called out from the dark corner of the room.

Kagami turned her head and spotted Skye sitting on the ground and leaning against the wall of their room. "Skye-chan? You're still awake and why are you still sleeping like that? I told you so many times to sleep on the futon!"

"I wasn't sleeping Kagami-san," Skye pointed out. The girl moved away from the wall and waited as the raven-haired beauty plopped down onto her futon.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me one-chan?" Kagami cried out, exasperated. She accidentally pressed down hard on a forming bruise on her back and cursed loudly. "Damn! I'm never going to entertain men that way again!" She grabbed a container of ointment from a nearby desk and tossed it to Skye. "Since you're not sleeping," she told the younger girl as she stretched out lying face down on the futon. "Help me by putting some ointment on my bruised back."

Skye released a defeated sigh and reluctantly put a dollop of the nice smelling ointment in her hands. "What happened? Why is your back in this condition?" The twelve-year-old girl frowned deeply as she gently smoothed the ointment over Kagami's back.

Kagami let out a grunt and twitched slightly under the gentle ministrations of her charge. "Had to handle a bunch of rough customers," she replied, moaning softly as Skye began to knead her shoulders and back.

"You're sore aren't you?"

Kagami nodded her head as she enjoyed the massage. "Where'd you learn how to do this? Is it a natural talent?"

"My mom used to give dad massages after he'd come home exhausted from working at his garage," Skye explained. "I used to watch her so I picked up a few techniques from her." She continued to work silently until Kagami sat up and brought her face very close to Skye's face.

"You miss her," Kagami bluntly stated, her cobalt blue eyes gazing gently at her charge.

Skye shrugged. "I do miss her, but there's nothing that I can do to bring her back," she said sadly, sitting back on her heels. "If she was still alive, our family wouldn't have turned out like this. Oto-san wouldn't have turned into an alcoholic and chain smoker. I would still be going to school-" she halted her depressing rant when two slender fingers rested on her lips.

Kagami smiled sympathetically before gathering her charge in her arms. "Don't blame yourself, Skye-chan," she whispered into the girl's ear as she fiercely hugged her. "I'm sure your mom's watching you. Your dad will come around eventually so in the meantime, trust me to take care of you." She gently patted the blue-haired girl's head.

* * *

On Skye's fourth week living at the brothel, she got an unexpected visitor. Kagami brought her down to the lobby to meet him. Skye looked curiously at her sober and clean smelling father.

Akira Sagara dropped to his knees and enveloped his daughter in a fierce hug. "Forgive me, Skye," he said in a hoarse voice choked from emotion. "I was stupid, but I'm going to make it up to you." He pulled away and bowed to Kagami. "You have my thanks for caring for my daughter."

Kagami shook her head despite being deeply moved by the man's words. "I'm just glad that you've snapped back to your original senses. Will you be taking Skye home?" she asked, placing a gentle hand on her charge's shoulder.

The mechanic nodded. "For tonight only," he admitted, scratching the top of his head. He turned to address his confused daughter. "Skye, I love you dearly but my recent show of bad behavior just shows that I won't be able to properly care for you as your father," he sadly told the girl. "Our life here is in shambles and I don't want you to grow up in this kind of environment." He let out a shaky breath. "I've talked to your grandparents," he started. "Your mother's parents have agreed to bring you to London and care for you there."

"But oto-san!" Skye protested.

"I'm not only doing it for your own good, Skye," Akira gently told his daughter. "I need time to get myself back on track."

Kagami rubbed Skye's back. "Skye-chan, listen to your father," she told the girl. "I'm sure with time you'll be able to go back here and live with him again." She gazed expectantly at the father. "He'll write to you."

Akira nodded and held out his hand. "I promise to write to you. Now it's time to say goodbye to your friend," he said.

Kagami bent down and hugged Skye. "You take care of yourself Skye-chan," she ordered the girl.

"Will I see you again?" Skye asked, looking hopefully at her guardian.

Kagami smiled and gently pecked the young girl's cheek. "When you come back here be sure to come find me."

Taking the hand of her father and waving goodbye one last time, Skye exited the brothel never knowing that it would be a full twelve years later that she would once again find herself standing in its halls.

* * *

_Present…_

* * *

"So that's what happened," Mitsuru mused. "I didn't realize that this place was significant to you in that way." She ran her restless fingers through her auburn hair.

Skye let out a huff. "Now you know," she started, darting her jade eyes at the raven-haired storyteller at her side. "I'm just glad that she didn't delve into the more embarrassing details during my stay here at the brothel," she muttered.

Kagami laughed. "Do you think I would go so low just to embarrass you?" She playfully punched the young woman's arm.

A deep scowl formed on the professor's face. "You embarrassed a twelve year old girl in far more humiliating situations," she drawled, her elegant eyebrows furrowing.

Yukari leaned closer to Mitsuru. "It makes you wonder what kinds of things Sagara-san went through as a kid."

"Hush Yukari!" The auburn-haired student scolded. "Don't be rude!"

"It's understandable that your friend is curious," Kagami pointed out in amusement. "A lot of people would be wondering what experiences a twelve year old girl went through in a brothel of all places." She glanced at the still scowling Skye and shook her head ruefully. "It's quite mind boggling, but unfortunately you won't be getting any stories from me."

"Well yeah!" Skye retorted. "If I so hear you mention any story from back then, the only entertaining you'll be doing is under the water."

Mitsuru cleared her throat. "We won't bother asking about that, Skye-san!" she assured her professor. "You've done so much for me and it just seems really improper that I repay you by asking you to recount your embarrassing moments in this place."

Finally, the scowl disappeared and was replaced by a small smile. "You needn't say that, Mitsuru," Skye told her student. "You were a friend first before you became my student so you don't need to be so proper around me."

"But you're the heiress of the Thierry-" Mitsuru tried.

"_Former _heiress," Skye interrupted. "I ran away, remember? Anyway, if you do want to hear about the embarrassing brothel escapades, I might be able to tell you some." She cocked her head to the side and smiled forcibly at Mitsuru and her girlfriend. "That's if the two of you quit following me around." Seeing the two girls nod their heads in agreement, Skye got to her feet and stretched her arms up to the ceiling. "That's done, I have to get going."

Mitsuru and Yukari also got to their feet. "Us too," she said. "We have plans to meet with our friends later on." The three women bowed goodbye to the brothel ladies and turned towards the door.

"Hold on. The three of you aren't getting off the hook so easily."

Skye paused in her tracks and reluctantly turned around to stare at Kagami. "What are you talking about?" she asked, feeling slightly nervous about what the older woman had in mind.

"Like it or not, the three of you disrupted our operations," Kagami informed them, a knowing smile evident on her face.

"B-but your establishment isn't even open yet!" Mitsuru pointed out in defense. She too was feeling anxious about the situation.

The buxom raven-haired beauty shook her head and clucked her tongue at them. "Even at these times, we have established operations that keep running throughout the day." She got up from the couch and walked sensually towards Skye. "Not to mention, we had two under-aged girls come into our establishment during the day!" Stopping just half a foot away from her former charge, she tilted her head up and locked eyes with the taller jade-eyed woman. "So? What do you intend to do, Skye-chan?" She raised one eyebrow expectantly.

Skye glared at the older woman for a few seconds before quickly turning her face away. "You're an old scheming woman, Kagami," she growled, roughly stuffing her hands into her pockets. "I'm assuming that I'm also liable to punishment like these two girls?"

"Yes," Kagami replied, grinning widely and motioned for two of her subordinates forward. "Take Mitsuru-san and Yukari-san to get some cleaning equipment," she ordered. "The two of you are going to be helping out with getting this place ready before we open later on." She watched as the two girls were led out of the room before giving her full attention to the remaining woman. "As for you, I've got the perfect job for you!"

"What would that be?" Skye asked in a wry tone.

Kagami tapped her wristwatch, which indicated that it was already past two in the afternoon. "Our cook has been out sick for the past few days and we don't have a decent cook among the ladies of this brothel," she told Skye with a smile. "I'm afraid it's the kitchen for you!" she said cheerfully.

* * *

It was nearly five in the afternoon when Skye, Mitsuru and Yukari finished their respective punishment. Mitsuru and Yukari were certainly tired after first cleaning the club area of the brothel and the hallways of the establishment. They were given a short break to have a lunch with the rest of the ladies in the brothel. Skye had done her punishment dutifully and cooked them a delicious meal, which she claimed to have improved after living in London. Not only did she cook, she also handled kitchen cleanup and came out with hardly a spot or stain on her clothing.

"Satisfied Kagami-san?" Skye inquired with her arms impatiently crossed over her chest. "Did you have to make Mitsuru and Yukari handle cleanup? This brothel is actually bigger compared to other brothels and cleaning it takes a whole day!" She frowned at the disheveled features of the younger women.

"It's punishment, Skye-chan!" Kagami quipped as she looked over the brothel ladies who were all dressed appropriately prior to opening their establishment to the public. "Well, we're just about to open the brothel and there's nothing else we could put upon you and your friends as punishment."

Yukari let out a disgruntled sigh. "Finally! We can get going!" She braced herself against the wall of the room. "We can go already, right?" The hazel-haired girl looked worriedly at her equally tired lover.

"Are we?" Mitsuru asked the question to the blue-haired ex-heiress.

Skye nodded stiffly. "We're leaving," she told them. "Come along Mitsuru and Yukari!" She and the girls walked towards the brothel's doors.

"Boss lady! We got a problem!"

Kagami made a face. "What now? We're just about to open!"

"Our bouncer can't make it all of a sudden and two of our own are still out! They just called to say that they're both still wrapped up with the customers they were with since last night! They did say that they'll be back by eight in the evening."

"Damn! We're short on manpower then!"

Yukari paused at the door after overhearing the situation. "Hey they're having a problem," she told Mitsuru, pulling on her lover's sleeve.

"I heard it too, ok Yukari?" Mitsuru tried to pull her girlfriend out of the brothel. "Your curiosity is going to get all of us in trouble!"

Skye was already waiting outside, but ended up heading back inside the brothel to get her student to hurry it up. "What's the hold up? If we stay here any longer, Kagami might come up with something else to punish us!"

"Ohhh Skye-chan!" The familiar singsong tone of voice rang throughout the lobby.

Skye slapped her forehead in annoyance and frustration. "Oh no… Please Kagami! Don't do this!" Her mood darkened all the more as she watched two prostitutes sneak behind them and bar the doors, trapping them inside. "This is too much for me to handle!"

Kagami grinned wickedly at her former charge. "But Skye-chan it isn't just going to be you who'll be helping us out!"

"Making two under-aged girls work in a brothel is absolutely unacceptable!" Skye shouted.

"They won't be _working!_" Kagami reassured the blue-haired woman. "I'll have them dress up like us, but they won't be made to do our kind of work! They can work as waitresses!" she cheerfully added, looking excited.

Skye let out a stream of curses that made even the hardiest brothel ladies cover their mouths in shock. "No!" she roared. "Do you even realize who this redhead is?" she demanded, gesturing wildly at an anxious looking Mitsuru. "She's the heiress of the Kirijo group and the Kirijo Industries! If the Kirijo group finds out that their heiress is in a brothel, all hell will break loose!"

"I know who she is, Skye-chan. Don't worry, I'll make sure that these girl won't be bothered by the customers," the raven-haired beauty told them.

"And what about our heiress?" Skye asked, still not looking convinced.

"We'll disguise her a bit," Kagami answered, looking thoughtful. "Besides, once the customers get inside the club area of the brothel, they'll have a hard time recognizing anyone because of the dim lighting. Additionally, most of our customers start getting drunk in the first few hours so you have nothing to worry about."

Yukari looked reproachfully at the skimpy outfits the women before her wore. "If Mitsuru and I are going to be parading around like you guys, what's Sagara-san going to do?"

Kagami looked at Skye from head to toe. "Did you play sports while you were in London, Skye-chan?" she asked the young woman.

Skye looked confused but nodded her head anyway. "I was in the women's football varsity and I played basketball regularly with a bunch of friends."

"Any chance that you learned any martial arts?"

"Muay Thai and some Taekwondo," Skye replied. "What does that have to do with what we're talking about?"

Kagami grinned as she walked over to Skye and linked their arms together. "Let's get you changed into better clothes. You're going to do bouncer work for us until we get our hands on a replacement bouncer."

"You're going to owe me a lot for this, Kagami," Skye growled as she let the older woman drag her into a room.

"I don't owe you at all, Skye-chan! It's actually the other way around! _You _are the one who owes me!"

* * *

Inside the spacious club area of the brothel with the dimmed lights and the blaring music, Mitsuru and Yukari served various aged men an assortment of drinks. Both were loaned skimpy outfits so that they would both fit in among the ladies of the brothel.

"This is quite uncomfortable," Mitsuru informed her lover as she stacked empty glasses onto her tray. The brothel's club area was filled with rambunctious men of different ages looking to have a good time. "How can people strut around in clothes like these?"

Yukari chuckled as she refilled her collected glasses with various alcoholic drinks. "You dress too conservatively, senpai!" The hazel-haired girl leaned her elbows against a bar's surface and looked around the club area. "A lot of girls back at Gekkoukan high tend to dress like this when they're outside school."

"I've seen them, but I still can't see how they can flaunt their bodies in these kinds of clothes!" Mitsuru exclaimed, looking quite embarrassed with herself. "At least Skye-san has it easy," she pointed out. "At least with the clothes she has to wear," she added, noting the appearance of her professor. The blue-haired woman was made to wear black slacks, a fit long sleeved polo shirt, suspenders and a black tie. Around her forearm was a black armband that had the word 'bouncer' in big white letters.

"It's definitely more comfortable, but she has the tougher job," Yukari admitted. "So far she had to break up two potential brawls and throw out three drunkards who refused to pay their bills."

Just then, the customers began to hoot and shout as two got up from their seats and stepped towards Kagami and two other prostitutes. "Contest! Contest!" the men chanted, banging their fists against their tables.

"Oh no… It looks like Sagara-san has an even worse situation in her hands," Yukari said, watching as Kagami motioned Skye over to her.

Mitsuru nodded her head and looked worriedly as her professor stalked towards Kagami and the rowdy group of men. "I wonder what Kagami-san intends for Skye-san to do?"

"You want me to what?!" Skye almost shouted in her disbelief.

Kagami shushed her former charge, grabbed hold of her shirt and pulled her down so that she could whisper into her ear. "These men just insulted one of our ladies and it spurred an argument."

"What kind of argument?"

Kagami shrugged her shoulders. "The typical men are superior to women kind of argument. The men want a contest," she told Skye. "Those two guys over there say that they can withstand any move or advances my girls can do to them."

"What?"

Kagami rolled her eyes, her impatience showing through the tapping of her foot against the floor. "How slow can you be?" she wondered aloud. "They said that they won't get _horny_ with whatever tricks my girls will use on them."

"And how do I come into this contest?" Skye questioned, already not liking the idea.

The raven-haired beauty grinned and gestured at the small and elevated stage. "I made a bet with the men that they would lose the contest to a woman." She watched as three chairs were arranged on stage. "My girls will do all their tricks and techniques to try to get the contestants horny. Any person who blushes or displays the other oh-so-familiar signs will be eliminated."

"Why not pick one of your girls to compete?"

"I have a feeling you'll fare better than they and besides, most of them are under the influence," Kagami replied, pointing at a discarded beer bottle. "A sober person will fare better and those two men who are participating are on the brink of being pissed-off drunk. I'm confident that you'll do well!"

Skye let out a low growl and took a step backward. "Must I really be the one to do this?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing. "I have to remind you that there are two under-aged girls in the vicinity. This type of thing isn't appropriate for their eyes."

"Oh hush! I'm sure they're old enough to know what this kind of thing is about and you did mention that those two girls are seeing each other." Kagami leaned around Skye's form to regard Mitsuru and her younger lover. "Look. If you do this for me and win, I'll let you and your two friends go."

"Right after the contest ends?" Skye questioned the shorter woman, narrowing her jade-green eyes at her.

Kagami nodded and stuck her hand out for Skye to shake. "You have my word."

"Also, I want all your surveillance tapes," Skye added, glancing at the three surveillance cameras around the room. "I don't want you blackmailing me, Mitsuru and Yukari."

Kagami frowned, but nevertheless sealed the deal with a handshake. "It's a deal then."

The blue-haired ex-heiress took a deep breath and strode towards the stage where the two men were already seated on their respective chairs. Schooling her face to blankness, Skye eased herself onto the chair, leaned back and languidly crossed her arms over her chest. She knew that if she wanted to win this, she needed to be intensely focused and draw herself into her mind.

Kagami took her position at the front of the stage and spoke into a microphone. "Alright gents! As you wished, we will be holding a contest!" she announced and waited for the men to settle down. "Three basic rules! First, one of my ladies will do her work with each contestant for three minutes. Second, whoever displays signs of being horny… no need for me to elaborate on that for the men," she added, smiling at the frenzied hooting of the customers. "-will get knocked out of the competition. Third, if there are two contestants left at the end of the contest then we will have a tiebreaker," she finished, tossing her hair back. "Any questions?" She looked around the dark club area. "Then let's begin!"

At one corner of the club, Mitsuru and Yukari gawked at what was happening. Mitsuru blushed and tried to look away as one of the prostitutes danced erotically in front of the first contestant. "This is the contest the men want?" she asked. "Why is Skye-san part of this… this contest?"

Yukari thanked a passing prostitute and walked over to her lover. "Looks like Kagami-san struck a deal with Sagara-san," she informed the auburn-haired student. "If Skye-san is the last person standing, we'll be set free."

"She actually agreed to that?" Mitsuru couldn't believe that her professor would make herself go through something so humiliating for them. She gulped as the prostitute went full contact with the 

first man. "I seriously doubt that Skye-san could last," she confided in Yukari, watching as Kagami raised her hand in the air and halted the contest.

"Contestant number one! You're out of the game!" the raven-haired woman shouted, pointing at the familiar bulge beneath the man's pants. As the man walked off the stage, he hid his arousal and tried to ignore the jeers of his fellows. "On to the next contestant!" Kagami signaled for the prostitute to start on the second man who looked hardier and more focused compared to the previous contestant.

Mitsuru and Yukari continued to watch the contest unfold, half interested and half embarrassed at the spectacle before them. Yukari noted down with interest that the green-eyed woman had an entirely serious countenance and her eyes showed plain disinterest. Silently, she was hoping that the second man would succumb to his desires and drop out of the competition, but the Kagami clapped her hands to signal the end of three minutes.

The man was certainly proud of himself for he shot out of his chair and roared out in victory. The rest of the men in the club also celebrated along by pumping their fists in the air, cheering the man on and taunting the only woman participating in the contest.

"Well what do we have here?" Kagami twirled the microphone around and waited as the overly energetic male contestant settled back into his chair. "I'm amazed that you have controlled yourself so well! If our last competitor fails in this task, then you will indeed be the winner." Kagami glanced at the stoic looking Skye, masking her worry by casually flipping her hair over her shoulders.

"Don't forget our deal!" the man reminded, licking his lips hungrily. "If I win then we get to pick any girl we want for the night free of charge!"

Skye snapped out of her trance, her jaw dropping upon realizing the gravity of the situation. "You made another bet?!" she shouted. Now knowing that the whole brothel's reputation lay in her hands, she was immensely nervous.

Kagami sighed. She had not wanted her former charge to find out the second bet the men had proposed, but things had not apparently gone as she planned. "Pull yourself together, Skye-chan," she told the younger woman in a soft voice. "I shouldn't have imposed such a heavy burden on you. It was silly of me to have myself swayed so easily by a petty argument."

The part-time bouncer remained silent for a full minute, her eyes hidden beneath her blue-black hair. "You're going to owe me a lot for this, Kagami-san," she muttered, opening her eyes. "That bet the men proposed includes Yukari and Mitsuru and I can't let that happen now right?"

"Not to mention, we'd lose a lot of money tonight," Kagami added, hoping for some sympathy.

"If Yukari and Mitsuru weren't involved in this," Skye hissed in annoyance. "I would have gladly dropped out of this stupid contest and let these men have their way with you!" She harrumphed and momentarily gazed kindly at Kagami. "I'm not the heartless," she told the woman. "I wouldn't like to see you and your ladies be taken advantage of." She took a deep breath, her eyes darkening with seriousness. "Start the contest already!"

"You have my thanks, Skye-chan," Kagami whispered, stepping back to the front of the stage and announcing the start of the round.

With a little hesitation, the same prostitute who had conducted the contest with the previous contestants stepped forward and nervously eyed the seated woman before her. Inside, she hoped that Kagami's former charge was hard enough to withstand her advances. She started off by sensually swaying her hips, her arms slowly twining upwards into the air as she gave those fathomless jade-green eyes a heated gaze. The blue-haired woman didn't even blink as she moved on to her next act. This time, she slid into Skye's lap and lightly twined her arms around her neck. She had just reached the two-minute mark as she leaned forward, pressing her supple body into the seated figure. She ground her hips against Skye for a few more seconds when Kagami signaled for her to stop. For a moment, she thought that Skye had done something wrong.

"It looks like we're going to go into a sudden death tiebreaker!" Kagami whooped as the club erupted with shouts and cheers. She flashed a thumbs-up sign at Yukari and Mitsuru and quickly checked the Skye's state. She sighed inwardly when she saw that the mechanic's daughter was still in a trance-like state. "Alright settle down!" she ordered. "In order to settle this dispute, I'm going to be the one conducting this sudden death tiebreaker. She fished a coin out of her leather jacket and stepped towards the lone male contestant. "I'll be nice and let you call the order," she told the man, hoping that he wouldn't notice that she was trying to keep Skye in her focused state. "Call it!" She flicked the coin up in the air and caught it.

"Heads!" The man exclaimed.

Kagami unclenched her fist. "Heads it is," she announced. "Who goes first?"

"I'll go first!" he replied confidently, pumping his fist up in the air to encourage his fellow brothel-goers to cheer for him.

Kagami laughed as she shrugged her jacket off and threw it off the stage, leaving her clad in a black corset and skimpy shorts. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, sir! As I said, this is sudden death so if you lose now, you lose the contest," she told him, grinning when she saw him gulp hard. "Not changing your mind?" The man shook his head and tried to put up a brave front. "Suit yourself!" She skulked towards her prey with a wicked smile on her face. A full minute and a half had gone by when she noticed that the man was turning into a different color. To her and the audience's surprise, the man was not turning red but into a deep blue and purplish color. She sensually slid off the man's lap and stepped away as the man fell off his chair in a dead faint.

As the men began to complain loudly about how their friend had unconsciously held his breath long enough to make him pass out, Mitsuru let out a sigh of relief while the hazel-haired girl by her side doubled over in laughter.

"Looks like we have a winner!" Kagami bent over and retrieved her jacket from the floor. "And so gentlemen, you've lost your bet and you must now pay what you owe!" She crooked her fingers at them from the stage. "Remember our terms! Your individual bills for your next ten visits will be doubled." As the men grumbled and reached for their wallets, Kagami spotted her former charge getting to her feet and rubbing her face hard. "Thanks Skye-chan," she told her, taking her hand and leading her off the stage and towards a relieved Mitsuru and a still laughing Yukari.

"How'd you do it?" The question left Mitsuru's lips before she knew what she was doing.

Skye smiled ruefully at the three women before her. "Did a lot of deep thinking and thankfully it kept me distracted," she told them, running her fingers through her hair. "You could say I let myself space out so I hardly even noticed what was happening."

Yukari raised her eyebrows. "You make it sound so easy, but it's not as simple as we think it is, right?" She was starting to like Mitsuru's professor.

Kagami let out a chuckle and wrapped an arm around her former charge's shoulders. "Skye was actually at an advantage in that contest and that's why I picked her to represent the womenfolk of this brothel." She ruffled Skye's hair with her hand. "The embarrassing brothel experiences she refuses to tell you have made her almost immune to our tricks and techniques," she informed the two girls.

"Almost immune?" Mitsuru questioned, confused that there was a limitation to Kagami's description. Just as Skye opened her mouth to explain, the buxom raven-haired woman pressed herself into Skye's wiry build, positioned her mouth beside her ear and lightly laved it. Almost instantly, two streams of crimson flowed out Skye's nose as Kagami stepped away.

"As you can see," Kagami stated, gesturing at Skye's bleeding nose. "The only person that could make her react like that is me." She grinned as she watched Mitsuru grab paper towels and thrust them at her professor's nose to contain the flow of blood. "There hasn't been a single time that she hasn't gotten a nosebleed from that specific trick!"

"Kagami…" Skye growled as she covered her nostrils with the blood-soaked paper towels. "I'm going to kill you!" She lunged forward, just missing the boss lady of the brothel. As Skye chased the screaming Kagami around the club, Mitsuru and Yukari watched them in amusement while the customers began to file out of the brothel.

* * *

"Come visit me again, Skye-chan!"

"You wish!"

The auburn-haired heiress and her hazel-haired lover said their goodbyes to Kagami while she continued to tease her former charge. "Thanks for taking care of us, Kagami-san," Mitsuru said, bowing deeply to the beautiful woman. All three of them were back in their original outfits and were getting ready to go home.

Kagami waved the university student's thanks off. "No need to thank me," she replied, jerking her thumb at a scowling Skye. "It's this one you have to thank. If she hadn't won, then we'd all be in a whole lot of trouble!"

"Skye-san," Mitsuru began, in the process of bowing to her professor.

"You don't need to," Skye interrupted, positioning her fingers at her temples and kneading them. "I did it for everyone's behalf and besides, there's a fair exchange," she added, eying Kagami. "Right? We're free to go now right?"

Kagami nodded. "The surveillance tapes?"

"You can keep it. I realize that you'll have to purchase new ones if I take them away," Skye replied. "I wouldn't want your expenses to increase. Tape over the videos and we'll call it even."

"Damn! They know I'm missing!" Mitsuru snapped her cellphone shut and shoved it into her pocket. "I must be going." She turned to Yukari and looked apologetically at her. "Sorry _mon amour_, but I won't be able to bring you back to your dormitory." The redhead looked around the Iwatodai strip. "Is there a cab we could flag down to take Yukari back to her dormitory?"

"Not at this time," Kagami replied, shaking her head.

Skye cleared her throat. "I'll take her home Mitsuru," she offered as she gave Yukari a kind smile. "You're already in enough trouble with that company of yours and it isn't such a good idea to let Yukari walk home by herself," she elaborated.

"I am truly grateful for this," Mitsuru exclaimed. To Yukari, she gave a quick hug then asked, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yup!" Yukari chirped, going up on her tiptoes to peck one of Mitsuru's alabaster cheeks. "Take care of yourself on the way back to your apartment!" she called as she waved at Mitsuru's retreating figure.

"The same goes for you, Yukari!" Mitsuru called back before disappearing into the night.

The raven-haired boss of the brothel stretched her body before addressing the two remaining women before her. "Well, I have to get things cleaned up inside," she informed the both of them, giving Skye one last hug and quick kiss. "The next time you go see your father, tell him that I won't hesitate to throw him out if he tries to come back here again!"

Skye could not help but grin at the order. "I'll be sure to tell him that, Kagami!" She and Yukari waved bade the older woman goodbye before setting off towards the parking lot where Skye had left her motorcycle.

"Sagara-san?"

"Call me Skye, Yukari." Tired green eyes regarded the hazel-haired girl.

Yukari cleared her throat as she nervously returned the tired gaze of the professor. "Umm… can I ask you a question Skye-san?" she asked, looking down at her feet as they continued their short trip to the lot.

Skye looked quizzically at Yukari before she relented. "Sure."

"Is there something between you and senpai?"

"You mean Mitsuru?" Skye clarified as she linked her hands behind her head. "It's nothing serious if it worries you," she told the girl. "We're friends, I suppose. We're not good friends, but I consider her important."

"Why is that?"

The ex-heiress looked up at the dark skies above them. "I see a lot of myself in her," she admitted. "It's rare to come across a person who's had a similar past and background. I can't help but feel like I can connect to her somehow." They were silent the rest of the way until Skye boarded her BMW sport bike and helped Yukari get on behind her.

After wrapping her arms around Skye's waist, Yukari gathered enough courage and asked the question that has been bothering her since her first meeting with the professor. "Skye-san… are you… lesbian?" She could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she waited for an answer.

"Can't really say," Skye replied, igniting the engines of her bike.

"Why do you say that?"

The biker shrugged. "I haven't had any tendencies," she explained.

"Boys?" Yukari asked, watching Skye tweak with the bike's controls.

"Haven't shown any interest in them… yet," Skye answered back. "In other words, I'm an unknown type," she chuckled. "I'll tell you this though," she looked over her shoulder to look at the hazel-haired student behind her. "If I do start getting interested in relationships and the like then I think it wouldn't really matter who I'd end up going out with. Male or female, I think it wouldn't really matter to me."

Yukari stared into those fathomless green eyes before shaking her head ruefully. "My jealousy hindered me from seeing that you're actually a really cool person," she admitted, grinning up into the face of the professor.

"I'm flattered," Skye replied and returned the playful grin. "Now hold on! We'll be at your dormitory before you know it!"

* * *

_**This is quite a long chapter and probably is as long as the first chapter I wrote for this story. Anyway, after reading the various opinions of the readers, I decided that the main pairing of this story would be Yukari x Mitsuru with Skye as developing close friend of Mitsuru. **_

_**Mr. Thumbsup: yeah… you'd expect junpei to do something stupid when they all found out about Yukari and Mitsuru. **_

_**Li Senkei: Sorry about the wrong translation. I corrected it in this chapter though. I'm glad though that you liked the previous chapter. :)**_

_**Roxius: Nah… as I said earlier, it's definitely going to be Yukari x Mitsuru until the end of the story. :)**_

_**Next Chapter: Summer jobs and an outing.**_


	8. Closer

_Chapter 8: "Closer"_

"I can't believe I let myself get dragged into this…" Minato muttered, sitting on the ground and leaning against the concrete wall of the indoor swimming pool complex. He stared sullenly at the gentle slapping of the pool waters created by the handful of swimmers. "Junpei was just twisting my leg when he told me that we'd be working at the beach."

After just mentioning his friend's name, Junpei's familiar voice called out from the other end of the room. "Yo! Minato!" Junpei waved his hands in the air as he ran towards his friend. "Glad you could make it!" He grinned down at the gray-eyed young man, setting his hands against his waist.

Minato scowled and got to his feet. Today, he was wearing board shorts and a thin t-shirt. Junpei also wore something similar, but opted to keep his favorite cap atop his head. "An explanation?" Minato went straight to the point.

"Hey! Hey! No need to be so grumpy in the morning!" Junpei started, forcing cheer into his voice as he spoke to his friend. "I told you I'd get both of us jobs!"

"Jobs at the beach to be more specific," Minato interrupted, frowning at the goateed young man as children entered the complex with their parents. "I knew something was suspicious when you gave me the address of this place!"

Junpei threw his hands up in the air clearly looking exasperated. "Alright!" he exclaimed. "We can't jump up to the lifeguard part-time jobs so I accepted the kiddy swimming instructor positions for us."

"What?!"

"Don't just march out on me just yet!" Junpei grabbed hold of Minato's arms as the slightly shorter man tried to leave. "I didn't say that we won't be able to get those beach jobs!" He couldn't help but smirk at the blue-haired senior. "The director of this complex said that if we do a good enough job, we could be promoted to the lifeguard positions in just a week!"

Minato looked skeptical. "The director said that? What does he or she have to do with these part time jobs anyway?"

"Duh! The director is also in charge of the various activities and facilities at the beach!" Junpei informed Minato with sarcasm laced in his voice. "So don't complain and let's just get over with this job! I heard that we're being placed under some other part timer."

"Iori!" A man barked. "If you and your friend are here already then I suggest you get your asses into your swim shorts! The kids are ready and the other instructor I hired is already in the changing rooms!"

"Yes sir! Right away sir!" Junpei replied, his usually silly grin still on his face. He turned to Minato and asked, "You need to go to the changing rooms, dude?"

"Yeah. I put my bag with my stuff in a locker there."

"Well I'm ready!" Junpei announced, pulling off his shirt. "I went here in my swim shorts so that I could jump into the pool right away!"

The blue-haired student shook his head. "Errr… Junpei, we won't be doing much swimming if we're going to be teaching kids," he pointed out.

"Huh?"

Minato sighed and pointed at a smaller sized pool on the other end of complex. "We're teaching kids who have no swimming experience," he explained. "We can't just start them off at the main pool so we'll be at the shallows for the first few days I guess."

"Pshhh… that sucks," Junpei commented in annoyance. "Oh well. Since we can't exactly go swimming in the adult pool today, let me show you this neat trick I learned before we start our lessons with the kids!" Junpei turned on his heel and began to jog lightly towards the edge of the Olympic sized pool.

"I don't think that's a good idea, Junpei!" Minato called.

The young man turned around and jogged backwards. "Don't worry Minato! It's just a quick dip then I'm out of the pool!" Running backwards, Junpei failed to see that a boy in his swimming attire had stopped in the Junpei's path to gaze at the large pool.

"Watch out!" Minato shouted, watching in vain as Junpei's legs and lower back collided with the kid. "Grab him Junpei!" He cursed upon first hearing a dull splash and then the familiar frenzied splashing of arms against the water's surface. "What the hell are you doing?" he shouted at Junpei who sat frozen in his place at the edge of the pool. He broke into a run and was preparing himself to dive into the pool when another figure suddenly dove into the water ahead of him.

"H-Help!" The boy shouted, his voice coming out in a gurgle as his head came out of the water before sinking down again.

Minato dropped to his knees beside the still frozen Junpei as he caught a figure cutting across the clear pool underwater. As the struggling boy sank towards the bottom, the unknown person enveloped the boy in his arms and proceeded to kick towards the surface. All Minato could do was stare as the familiar blue-haired rescuer and the boy broke out onto the water's surface. He rushed to the edge of the pool and held out his arms as Mitsuru's professor lifted the boy out of the water.

"Thanks," Skye said with a smile, pulling herself out of the pool as she shook the water out of her hair. "You're one of Mitsuru's friends, aren't you?" she asked, getting down on her knees to check the bewildered boy's condition.

Minato nodded as he too squatted down to pat the boy on the back. "Sagara-sensei, right?" he asked. "What are you doing here?" He noticed that the professor was clad in board shorts and a short-sleeved black wetsuit.

"I signed up as a swimming instructor here," she replied. To the boy, she asked, "Are you alright?" The boy nodded up at her and chose that moment to cling around her arm. "That was quite a bad first time experience with swimming," she told the two male students before her. "Do you still want to learn how to swim?"

The boy looked reluctant to agree. "The water is going to kill me…"

Skye smiled and shook her head. "If you go to my class, you'll never have to go through that kind of experience again," she assured the boy.

"Do you mean it?"

"Yup! Why don't you head over there where the other kids are staying by the shallow pool?" She got back up to her feet as the boy scurried off towards the group of kids his age. Running her fingers through her wet blue-black hair, Skye turned to glare down at the cap-wearing Junpei. "You do realize what you've done?"

"An accident? Hehe…" Junpei tried, forcing a smile to his face to make the situation look less grave.

Emerald green eyes emanated icy coldness. "An _accident_ that could have ended with a drowned boy!" Skye retorted, not looking at all sympathetic for the young man. She let out a long sigh and turned away from both Minato and Junpei. "I'd think you'd be old enough to act your age," she told them. "Your immaturity here could have cost a life."

"Are you going to tell the director?" Junpei mumbled as he bowed his head, already knowing what was in store for him.

"No."

"Huh?" Junpei's head snapped back up to regard the back of their senpai's university professor.

"I'd be short on manpower if you were to be fired," Skye replied, glancing over her shoulder and narrowing her eyes at Junpei. "I'll look this over if you promise to shape up. I don't want any other similar situations occurring especially when we transfer the kids to the adult pool."

Junpei jumped up to his feet. "Thanks sensei! I really appreciate this!"

"Don't think that you're off so easily!" Skye retorted and pointed to a utility closet. "We're tasked to clean the shallow pool after the class ends, but because of your foolishness today, you're going to clean the pool by yourself," Skye declared before pointing her finger at Minato. "And when I say by himself, you're not going to help him at all! Understand?"

"Perfectly Sagara-sensei!" Minato gulped.

"Other than that," Skye added. "Call me Skye." She regarded both boys with a look of question in her emerald green eyes.

Minato was the first to answer the silent question. "I'm Minato Arisato," he introduced himself with a polite bow to the older woman. When Junpei didn't take initiative to do the same, Minato took it upon himself to introduce his taller friend. "This is Junpei Iori. He was the one who actually got the both of us into this job."

Nodding to both of them, Skye then stalked over to the group of kids with a friendly smile on her face. "Ok kids! You ready to learn how to swim?" she asked the group of excited kids. "Now before we head into the water, I want all of you to remember some rules!" She motioned for Minato and Junpei to come over. "We are your instructors," she told them. "You can call me Skye-sensei or one-san." She gestured at the blue-haired young man and his semi-bald friend. "This is Minato-sensei and Junpei-sensei."

Minato directed a smile at the kids and gave the mixed group of boys and girls a slight bow. "Nice to meet you guys!" Junpei chose to just smile still feeling bad about what he did just a few minutes ago.

"Now kids," Skye called their attention. "The most important rule is that you shouldn't go in the water without an adult especially when we transfer to the adult pool. Next rule is no pushing or shoving into the pool," she enumerated, crossing her wiry arms over her chest. "Last rule, if you need to go to the bathroom please don't do so in the swimming pool." She gazed at the young group seated on the ground before her. "Any questions?"

A girl who looked to be seven years old raised her hand in the air. "Can we bring our floaters into the pool?" she asked, holding her floaters and looking at her other classmates who brought their own floating apparatuses.

Skye nodded her head. "For the first few sessions, you could use your floaters in the shallow pool. Same goes when we transfer to the adult pool. Eventually though, you're going to have to put them aside."

"But we'll drown!" A boy cried out.

"No you won't," Skye assured the nervous bunch. "You'll be good enough swimmers by the time we take away those floaters of yours." She clapped her hands and stepped into the shallow pool, the water only reaching until her hips. "Come on kids, we're going to practice floating and holding your breath under water first."

"Should we split them up among us?" Minato asked, slipping into the water with Junpei close behind him. He eyed the fifteen kids who stood at the edge of the shallow pool. "We could each take on five kids," he suggested, wading over to the edge of the pool and helping the kids get into the pool.

Skye nodded her head in approval. "We'll do that then." She walked to the edge of the pool to help the rest of the kids into the pool.

* * *

Three hours later, Skye, Junpei and Minato were sitting at the edge of the Olympic-sized swimming pool with their legs dangling in the water. They had just dismissed the kids from their first swimming lesson and handed them over to their parents. Junpei had gotten over his mistake and actually had a lot of fun teaching the kids how to float and hold their breath under water. He also added in a bunch of his useless tricks to get the kids to laugh to the amusement of Minato and Skye.

"Pretty good for a first session, huh?" Skye asked her co-instructors.

Minato nodded. "They're good kids," he added with a small smile. "I was thinking we'd get a real hyper one, but they're all behaved and attentive."

Skye leaned around Minato and looked at Junpei. "You did a good job today Junpei," she commented.

"Me?" Junpei asked, clearly surprised at the compliment. "But I messed up a while ago!"

"_Almost_ messed up," Skye corrected. "You made up for it during today's lesson."

"Thanks… I think," Junpei replied, blushing slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck. He cocked his head to the side and stuck a hand into the air. "Yo! Yuka-tan!" he shouted, making Minato cringe and cover his ear. "I didn't know you were coming over to visit!"

Akihiko snorted as he and Mitsuru followed Yukari and Fuuka. "I know it's a public place, but must you be so loud Junpei?" He and Junpei traded smirks when they reached the edge of the pool. He locked eyes with the familiar blue-haired professor. "Hey aren't you-" he started.

"Skye-san," Mitsuru interrupted, walking over to her professor's side. "I didn't know you were also helping out with the swimming lessons!" She glanced at Yukari to check if she was giving any bad reaction, but in her relief, she was not.

"Hello Mitsuru," Skye greeted then turned to Yukari. "Hello Yukari." She gave the younger girl a warm smile. The ex-heiress took one look at the newly arrived group and ran her fingers through her drying hair. "Planning to take a swim?" she asked, eyeing the duffel bags and towels brought by Mitsuru and her friends.

Yukari walked to the edge of the pool, sat beside Skye and eased her legs into the cool water. "We were planning to hang out somewhere else, but Akihiko-senpai wanted to hang out here instead."

"It's a good idea!" Akihiko retorted, dropping his duffel bag onto a nearby bench and stripping out of his shirt. "It's really hot outside and it's convenient for us to hang out here instead since Minato and Junpei were here already to begin with."

Mitsuru casually walked behind Akihiko and with one hand, shoved him hard towards the pool. As the boxer wheeled his arms in an attempt to regain his balance, she told the others in a wry tone, "Aside from his good intentions, he wanted to come here to do laps for his training." She and the other laughed as the platinum-haired boxer plunged into the swimming pool. "Isn't that right Akihiko?" she asked, squatting by the edge of the pool as the young man surfaced.

"Sure…" Akihiko replied, swimming over to the edge then lunging out to grab hold of Mitsuru.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru cried, clinging to the edge. "I haven't taken off my clothes yet!" She desperately tried to stay on the ground.

Akihiko grinned and renewed his grip on Mitsuru's forearms. "You're wearing your swimsuit underneath right?" he asked before setting his feet on the wall and with a mighty pull, dragged Mitsuru into the water. "Ah! Sweet revenge!" He let out with a sigh as he dove down to avoid a wave of water created by a completely soaked redhead.

"Akihiko…" Mitsuru sputtered angrily. "If I get my hands on you, it's going to be an execution!" She struggled to get her shirt and shorts off her body, which left her in a white bikini swimsuit. "Only a coward hides underwater!" She tossed her sodden clothes back to the ground and searched the water around her.

As Mitsuru continued her search for the submerged Akihiko, Minato and Junpei slipped into the pool with Fuuka. "Want to swim to the other end?" Junpei asked his two friends.

"To the other end?" Fuuka asked, looking hesitant. "Well, I'll try to keep up," she decided, taking a deep breath and resorted to using a simple breaststroke while Junpei and Minato swam freestyle to the other end.

Yukari was getting ready to dive in herself when she noticed the ex-heiress grabbing a towel from a bench. "You're not going to join us, Skye-san?" she asked, walking over to the taller woman.

Skye chuckled and hung the towel around her neck. "I'd spoil your fun," she told the hazel-haired high school student. "I'm not really in the same age group as you guys," she added, glancing at how Yukari's friends were having fun in the water.

"Age doesn't matter in relationships!" Yukari pointed out. "If you don't have anything else to do, why don't you just hang out with us?" she suggested, going behind Skye's back and began to push her towards the pool. "I'm sure senpai and the others wouldn't mind!"

"Come on Skye-san!" Mitsuru called from the water as she held a struggling Akihiko underwater. "You're supposed to be on vacation too!" she reminded the older woman.

Skye let out a defeated sigh and tossed her towel back onto the bench. "Oh alright," she relented, getting the sudden feeling that Yukari was going to try to shove her into the pool. At the last minute, Skye quickly stepped to the side as Yukari lunged forward in an attempt to put Skye into the drink. "I don't think so, Yukari," Skye told the girl just as she hit the water. Taking a few steps back, the ex-heiress walked forward then somersaulted into the swimming pool, much to the amazement of her spectators.

For the rest of the remaining daylight, the group of friends plus Skye had fun in the indoor swimming pool. After Mitsuru had given Akihiko a thorough execution, the boxer challenged Skye to a five-lap race. He was a bit annoyed at how cool and calm the professor seemed when she accepted the challenge so he added that the loser would have to treat all of them out for dinner. The first four laps were even between the two of them, but by the time he triumphantly tagged the wall he could only gawp at Skye who was already seated at pool's edge.

"It just goes to show that girls are really better than boys!" Yukari pointed out as she laughed at the defeated Akihiko.

The last thing any of them did for the day was to try jumping off the high dive. Yukari and Junpei were daring each other to jump off from the highest level of the high dive, but neither could do so. Both seniors were only able to jump from the middle level. Once again, Akihiko and Skye were drawn to the highest level along with Minato. While the boxer and his blue-haired friend peered over the edge, Mitsuru could not help but smile as she observed her professor simply lean against the railing with a bored look on her face.

"We're going to get old down here you know!" Yukari shouted, waving at them from the ground. "You got to show some guts, senpai! It looks like Skye-san thinks this is no big deal!"

"Alright already!" Akihiko shouted, making a face at the high school senior who continued to jeer at him from below. Taking a deep breath, the boxer jumped off the ledge feet first. His body sliced through the water like a knife before he struggled to get to the surface for air.

Minato gazed down below to check if the area was clear then looked at Skye. "Shall I go first?" he asked politely.

"If you wish," Skye replied and watched as the young man collected himself on the edge of the platform before diving head first into the water. As Minato surfaced to the cheers of his friends, Skye walked to the edge of the platform, took a long look at the water below then turned around. Her heels already off the platform, Skye raised her arms into the air, jumped away from the edge, and somersaulted three times with an added mid-air twist in between the flips before finally diving head first into the water.

"What else can you do anyway?" Mitsuru asked her professor, holding out her hand to help Skye out of the pool. "It's like you can do anything!" she exclaimed.

Skye merely shrugged and grabbed her towel. "I just like playing sports," she explained. "I learned that dive from my roommate."

"You're not very modest huh?" Yukari asked, grinning up at the taller woman.

"If I'm not modest, you're going to think that I'm bragging," Skye pointed out, leading the way to the showers and the changing rooms.

* * *

"Akihiko-senpai and Skye-san are getting chummy, huh?" Yukari told her lover as she glanced at the pair walking ahead of them. "Think there's something there?"

Mitsuru shook her head as she also observed the ensuing conversation between Akihiko and her professor. "I'm sure it's just admiration on Akihiko's part," she pointed out. "He told me before that he wasn't into older women. Skye-san on the other hand just doesn't look interested in Akihiko in that way."

"So you haven't lost a match yet?" Skye asked the boxer.

"I haven't!" Akihiko boasted. "As long as I keep using my lucky pair of boxing gloves, I'm sure to keep winning!" He patted his duffel bag, indicating that the supposed gloves he just mentioned were safely tucked inside.

"Your boxing gloves are eventually going to wear out," Skye reminded the young man. "Whenever that's going to be, you're going to have to buy a new pair of gloves."

Akihiko looked shocked. "I know that!"

"Are you implying that you want to stick with your boxing gloves now?" Skye raised her eyebrows at the boxer. "For some matches and boxers, the quality of the boxing gloves plays a big role whether he or she will win the match."

"Oh yeah? What sports are you good at then, miss hotshot?" Akihiko demanded, sounding cross. "You make it sound like you're at an expert at any sport!" he huffed out.

"I'm knowledgeable and able to play most sports actually," Skye replied, ignoring the annoyed look on the boxer's face. "But I play football and basketball mostly. Why do you ask?"

Minato caught up to Mitsuru and Yukari and grinned at them. "It looks like Sagara-sensei has Akihiko-senpai riled up."

Mitsuru grinned back at her friend. "Akihiko just doesn't take to having competition lightly," she explained, an amused glint in her crimson orbs. "Especially if the competition is a woman," she added. They followed Akihiko and Skye into a modest Italian restaurant and were soon seated at a long table. Ten minutes later, they were all enjoying the main course of three dishes of pasta and pizza.

"So Mitsuru, are we still planning to head over to Yakushima?" Akihiko asked after swallowing his food down. The heated debate between he and Skye fortunately lulled and instead they talked about Skye's involvement as a midfielder for her university's football team. The professor's team had never won, but Skye was invited to join the National team, which she had declined due to her deepening involvement in her mother's family business.

The auburn-haired student nodded her head. "The Kirijo group fortunately allowed me a week off so we'll push through with the trip. We're leaving this Saturday and we'll head back Tuesday morning," she informed her friends, feeling Yukari reach for her hand underneath the table.

"Woohoo!" Junpei cheered.

"Oh no… it's going to be the great babe hunt part two," Yukari complained, crinkling her nose.

"We all know how badly that turned out," Mitsuru commented, smirking at both Junpei and Akihiko. Turning to Skye, she asked, "Would you like to know what happened the first time we all went to Yakushima?" Upon getting the professor's agreement, Mitsuru began to recount how Junpei had convinced Akihiko and Minato to go babe hunting with him. Junpei tried to play it down to save face, but Skye could easily tell that Junpei was the worst when it came to hitting on girls.

"The three of you fought over a transgender male in a bikini?" Skye could not help but laugh as the three young men before her struggled to hide their flushed faces.

Minato managed to give Skye a grin after controlling his fierce blushing. "Oh well, Junpei was the one who was going to face the most trouble if not for Akihiko-senpai," he recounted. "He noticed that there was hair on the girl… I mean guy's chin."

"Perhaps you should have kept quiet and let Junpei discover the many possibilities of that kind of love," Skye teased, which startled laughter from among the other members of their group. "Going to the beach seems like fun," Skye mused when the group finally quieted down. "I haven't been to one for a few years now."

"Really?" Fuuka asked, looking surprised at the revelation. "Being an heiress-"

"_Ex_-heiress," Yukari put in, slapping her hand over her mouth in her embarrassment.

Skye smiled and waved it off. "Go on," she told Fuuka.

"I just thought that coming from a privileged family would allow you numerous opportunities to travel," the young inventor explained. "A beach certainly seemed like an easily doable trip for someone like you."

"It depends on the heiress I suppose," Skye replied, throwing a knowing look at the only other heiress in their group. "Ever since I got really involved in the family business, I rarely had time to travel just for leisure's sake. I was given more freedom when I was still a university student, but even then I already had my work cut out for me," she explained, taking a filled glass in hand and downing its contents.

Mitsuru could easily tell that their conversation was bringing back bad memories and feelings for Skye so she hastily cleared her throat. "Skye-san is right," she pointed out. "I've been going through the same thing ever since I became of age to start participating in my family's business." She looked at her friends carefully. "Nevertheless, you have to understand that families like ours-" she indicated her and Skye's family. "-are most likely this way towards their children," she finished. "The good thing is that Skye-san turned away from that kind of life."

"The bad thing is that you're still stuck in that kind of life," Skye interrupted, a wry smile forming on her face. "Not that I mean anything bad by it," she assured her student. "As I said before, things may be going well right now, but you should always keep a sharp lookout for possible trouble. I don't need to elaborate on that." She leaned her elbows against the table and propped her chin against her hand.

"That reminds me," Akihiko let out. "Yukari mentioned that you're an ex-heiress and Mitsuru here pretty much confirmed that you decided leave your elite status behind. Are you actually happy now with your decision?"

There was a good minute of silence before Skye gave her answer. "Definitely," she replied, a smile gracing her lips. "I've never been happier in my life!" she exclaimed, looking dreamily at the younger people around her. "I'm living a life without any restraints and I'm relieved that I've escaped a life that has already been planned out for me."

Now that got Mitsuru thinking. She was a bit content with her life right now, but she knew that the Kirijo group had already made a long-term plan for her. When she did take the position as head of the Kirijo group, she would definitely be faced with more restrictions and there was also the inevitable problem of an arranged marriage. What would happen to Yukari? If things went as they are, Mitsuru would be forced to end her relationship with the younger girl. It pained her to think of that highly likely future.

"Senpai…" Yukari called her out of her thoughts. "Why don't we invite Skye-san to come with us to your place at Yakushima?" she asked, noticing that her other friends were nodding their heads in agreement.

The auburn-haired heiress looked thoughtfully at her professor. "It wouldn't be a problem and it'd be more fun if we had more people to come along," she mused and gave a frown when her professor began to shake her head.

"I appreciate the offer, but I must decline," Skye told them, which spurred protest among the group of friends. "I'm not part of this clique," she reminded them. "I'm just a professor who happened to become you acquaintance through Mitsuru. Besides, I've got work to do," she added, glancing at her watch and reaching down to the floor for her bag.

"But Skye-san, we're only supposed to be teaching the kids three times a week!" Minato pointed out.

The jade-eyed professor shook her head. "I took up other jobs to keep myself busy for the summer," Skye explained. "I'm pretty much booked."

"I'm sure your bosses won't mind you missing your first day on the job," Yukari added, hoping to convince the avid biker. "After all, summer vacation just started and I bet they'd be pretty lax. Why not give it a try and ask your bosses if you could miss just one day of work?"

"I don't know…" Skye hesitated.

"Please?" Mitsuru pleaded, her eyes full of hope.

The ex-heiress let out a defeated sigh and fished her cellphone out of her pocket. "Excuse me," she told the group before putting the device against her ear. "Don't be too expectant about this. I'm not too sure that they'll let me off this easily."

As Skye conferred with her bosses, Junpei made a phone call of his own and relayed his report to his friends. "Ken-kun says that he'll be coming along with us," he informed his friends. "The kendo team is giving him a week off from training so he's free to join us."

"Aigis and Koromaru will be coming along too!" Fuuka added, looking ecstatic.

"That's great!" Yukari exclaimed. "It's going to be one of the few times we all actually got together on an outing!" She and the other chattered excitedly about the nearing trip until Skye hung up from her cellphone conversation.

"Well?" Mitsuru asked on behalf of her friends.

"What time and where will I meet you on Saturday?" Skye replied sarcastically, a trace of a smile on her lips. As Mitsuru and Yukari filled Skye in with the necessary information, the others waved a waiter over to order desert before they headed home for the night.

* * *

"What has you grinning like an idiot, Akihiko?" Mitsuru asked the boxer as the ferry sliced through the rough seas towards the island of Yakushima. Two hours had passed since their large group boarded the ferry that was bound for the pristine island and most of the group had decided to stay out on deck to bathe under the sun and let the ocean breeze cool their hot skin. Mitsuru had just come down from the bridge and noticed her platinum-haired friend leaning against the door and grinning.

"Huh? Oh it's nothing really," Akihiko lied, trying to mask his cheeriness.

Mitsuru rolled her crimson eyes at the boxer. "You've always been a bad liar, you know that?" Mitsuru reminded him as she stepped out onto the deck. "Now tell me. What's the reason for that really big grin of yours?" she asked once again.

"See for yourself," Akihiko replied as he pointed at a person leaning over the railings of the ferry. "I know it's sadistic of me, but I can't help but feel happy that there's something that she isn't good at!"

Mitsuru frowned deeply at her friend before striding over towards her nauseous and shaky looking professor. "Skye-san?" she called out her name.

"I hate boats…" the jade-eyed woman said dizzily. She gripped the steel railings hard as she fought the urge to throw up. Her face and knuckles were a deathly white color.

The redhead stepped forward and positioned herself at her professor's side. "I didn't think you're the type to get seasick so easily," she told the older woman as she soothingly rubbed Skye's back. "I was actually starting to wonder why you were spending so much of your time at the railings."

Skye covered her eyes with her hand and took in deep breaths of air. "How much farther?" she asked. It was apparent that the ex-heiress was one who did not talk much when she was on a boat or rather seasick.

"We'll be docking in fifteen minutes," Mitsuru replied, fishing some chewing gum out of her pocket and offering it to Skye. "Try chewing on this. It should help even a little bit so try to hold on for just a bit longer." She left the blue-haired woman alone and headed towards the center of the deck where a certain hazel-haired girl lay stretched out on a lounge chair.

Yukari tipped her sunglasses down to gaze up at her lover with a sleepy smile on her face. "I saw you check on Skye-san. Is she alright?" Unlike the ex-heiress, Yukari had spent most of the trip sleeping on her lounge chair. "She hasn't left that spot since we left port." She scooted over a bit to allow the redhead to sit with her.

"I gave her some gum, but I don't think it's going to help much," Mitsuru replied. "The seas are rough, but this ferry's design makes it able to cut through the seas smoothly." She shook her long auburn hair out and let the wind hit her face. "I guess Skye-san is just really sensitive to the movement of the seas."

The high school senior reached up and rested her hand against her lover's slender neck. "I hope she feels better when we set our feet on land," she told Mitsuru with a yawn. "But then again, there are people who still feel like they're on a boat even after disembarking."

Mitsuru reached up to her neck and placed her hand over Yukari's hand. "I've got some medicine for nausea at my vacation home if that's the case. I'm sure Skye-san will feel better after taking some medicine."

"_To all the passengers, we are docking at Yakushima port in a few minutes! Please gather your belongings and get ready to disembark."_

"Arghhh! Finally!" Skye shouted into the ocean air.

Mitsuru and Yukari giggled as they helped each other to their feet. "Shall we go fetch our things, _mon amour?" _she held her arm out to the shorter girl and waited until Yukari had hooked their arms together. "Perhaps we should accompany Skye-san too," she considered, watching as her professor swaggered across the deck.

"Urrk!" The ex-heiress covered her mouth with her hand and raced for the railings.

Yukari shook her head. "Maybe we should just get Skye-san's belongings," she suggested, pulling Mitsuru inside the ferry's lounge area.

* * *

"I feel kind of bad."

Akihiko grunted out an incomprehensible reply as he did his stretches. He had clearly made up his mind that he was going to do several laps for training before he had any fun with the rest of his friends on the beach. "Now that's strange. You never displayed sadness when we first set foot on this island."

"Yeah I know," Junpei replied, sinking his bare feet into the sand. "But after seeing Skye-sensei that sick looking and opting to stay at Mitsuru-senpai's mansion instead of coming down to the beach with us is just a really sobering thought." They had all witnessed the jade-eyed woman retching over the railing of the ship and had to help her off when they had docked.

"I wonder if she's alright?" Fuuka wondered aloud as she sipped her cold drink. "Senpai's maids had to practically carry Skye-san to her room." She hid an amused smile as she and her other friends remembered how the pale and slightly sweaty professor was at the brink of collapsing in the mansion lobby as she struggled to contain her roiling stomach.

Koromaru barked and pranced excitedly as Ken waved a stick in the air. "That's the worst case of seasickness that I have ever seen!" the boy shared, finally throwing the stick into the sea. "Are there cures for seasickness?" Ken watched as Koromaru raced into the water to retrieve the stick.

"Nausea specifically caused by motion sickness over water is quite common," Aigis informed them, the robotic tone now barely noticeable in her voice. "Some people are very vulnerable and 

experience seasickness as soon as they step foot on the boat. Common cures for this ailment are Dimenhydrinate pills and Scopolamine patches," she explained, gingerly sitting on a mat spread out on the sand. "My database tells me that these can be purchased in drug stores, but may need prescriptions. Otherwise there are other medicines for motion sickness that can be purchased as over-the-counter items."

"I do wonder if Mitsuru-senpai has those kinds of medication so readily available," Minato told his group of friends. He was wading into the sea, the blue waters reaching to his knees as the wind wove through his blue hair.

"Speaking of senpai," Junpei said, tossing his inflatable tube aside. "She and Yuka-tan have been at the mansion for over an hour already. Is Skye-sensei's condition that bad?"

"Maybe…" Akihiko replied. "Perhaps they're just trying to get some alone time before they head down here," he guessed, snickering at the sudden blush that appeared on Junpei's cheeks.

"They have a lot of time for that!" Junpei retorted, looking away from the amused stares of his friends. "They've probably done a lot of stuff already," he muttered as he struggled to hide his embarrassment.

"Not very likely," Akihiko replied. "It's just been around four months since the two of them got together and I highly doubt they've taken their relationship to another level." The boxer slipped off his sandals and tested the water with his feet. "They may be lovers, but you have to remember that Mitsuru is a very busy woman, being the heir of the Kirijo group after all."

Fuuka chirped in her agreement as she allowed Aigis permission to rub sun-tanning lotion onto her back. "Senpai's so busy that she and Yukari-chan rarely have time to see each other. Just leave them be for the meantime."

* * *

She must have looked like a sorry mess. It was embarrassing enough already that she had made a scene with her seasickness on the ferry, but she had to get through having Mitsuru's maids half-carrying her up to her assigned room and fawning over her. It may have been for good reasons, but it made the blue-haired professor deeply embarrassed. "I'm really fine Mitsuru," she murmured. Skye sat on the edge of her bed with her face buried in her hands.

"I'm doubtful about that claim, Skye-san," Mitsuru replied, looking worriedly at her professor. She oversaw the work of the maids who had wiped Skye's face with a cold and damp towel and made sure that the former heiress had taken her medicine for motion sickness. "You still don't look so good," she pointed out.

"She's right," Yukari agreed, walking over to the seated Skye and bended over to get a closer look at blue-haired woman's face. "You're still quite pale."

"Perhaps the both of you are right," Skye agreed, tilting her head up to gaze at the pair with weary jade-green eyes. "But it doesn't mean that the two of you should stay in here until I get better," she told them. "Just give me a few hours of rest and I'll be good to go." She waved them off and motioned for them to get out of the room.

Mitsuru frowned and opened her mouth to protest but those jade-green eyes glared hard at her. She instead let out a sigh and latched onto Yukari's hand. "Come on Yukari. There's nothing else to do, but let Skye-san rest for now." She opened the door, waited for Yukari to step outside and glanced over her shoulder to regard Skye with her deep crimson orbs. "If you need anything just use the intercom to call the maids."

Skye shuddered as she lay back on the bed. "I'd rather not," she muttered, raising her arm in the air and waving it. "Go along now," she told the redhead without looking at her. "You should seize this opportunity to get some time together with your girlfriend."

Ignoring the fierce blush that spread across her face, Mitsuru shook her head once and bade goodbye to the former heiress. "We'll see you later then." She stepped out of the room and quietly closed the door behind her. She raised an eyebrow at the hazel-haired girl who was casually leaning against the wall adjacent to Skye's room. "Well?"

"Shall we head to the beach then?" Yukari asked.

"I was hoping you'd like to spend some time with me first," Mitsuru said, a sheepish grin forming on her face. "This may be one of the few times we could spend with each other alone."

The hazel-haired girl beamed back at her lover. "Not unless I sneak into your room late at night," she teased, winking seductively at the redhead. "What?" she pouted. "No turning red?" She stood there hands akimbo. "And I really enjoy it when I get you to blush!"

Mitsuru shook her head. "You could try getting me to blush _in _my room, Yukari," she suggested, this time feeling amused when it was her lover who turned red instead. "Well? Are you coming?" She walked down the hallway towards her room without looking back. Somehow, she already knew anyway that the hazel-haired girl was following closely behind her. The redhead had barely gone through the doorway of her room when her body was suddenly pinned against her door. "My! You're taking this quite seriously!" Mitsuru couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden aggressiveness of her lover.

"You were the one who suggested that we take _this_," she pressed her body into Mitsuru's, taking pleasure in hearing a sudden intake of breath from the older woman. "-to your room," she finished.

The redhead cleared her throat and gave Yukari a disinterested look. "By your body language alone, I can already tell that you have something else of greater magnitude on your mind." She lightly pushed her lover away, ambled towards her bed and sat on its edge. Crossing one leg over the other and bracing herself against the bed with her hands, Mitsuru eyed the younger girl carefully. "Why such a crestfallen demeanor? Don't tell me you're giving up already."

The dejected look immediately transformed into a disapproving frown. "You were just teasing?" she demanded.

Mitsuru chuckled and patted the bed space. "Do you think I'd pass up this time?" she asked in return. "It would be such a waste!" she exclaimed. "Now are you going to come here or are you just going to stand there until our friends arrive?" She continued to smile lightly as Yukari stalked over to her.

When Yukari was standing directly in front of the seated heiress of the Kirijo group, she bent down from the waist and gathered Mitsuru's face into her hands. "I just realized we haven't kissed for quite some time now," she told her lover, running her fingers through the silken auburn locks.

"Oh? It doesn't seem so long ago," Mitsuru replied, keeping a straight face as she gazed back into those soft honey-brown orbs.

"Senpai…" Yukari warned, not liking the extended teasing. "It's been almost two weeks since you last gave me a proper kiss!" She touched their foreheads together then lightly nuzzled the crown of auburn hair with the tip of her nose.

"I've always believed that fasting makes a relationship more…" Mitsuru thought for a while before giving Yukari the most suited description. "Intense," she continued. "Withholding love enables you to give tenfold."

Yukari scowled, placed her hands on Mitsuru's shoulders and pushed her down onto the bed. "That would depend on the person, senpai," she argued, positioning her knees on either side of Mitsuru's thighs. "Especially if you're the person who's being fasted on…" she whispered, leaning down and capturing the lush lips of her lover in a heated kiss.

They remained like that for a few minutes, enjoying the slow playing of their lips against each other as their hands tentatively began to explore each other's bodies. Yukari's smaller hands travelled up the slender sides of Mitsuru as she pulled her lips away before settling them on her lover's neck. "_Je te désire…" _Yukari said huskily as she playfully nipped at the sensitive skin at the junction of her lover's neck and shoulder.

A deep rumble reverberated from Mitsuru's throat as she chuckled in amusement. "_Vraiment? Tu apprends vite,"_ she replied then expertly flipped Yukari over onto her back while she straddled the younger girl's hips.

"You're jumping to conclusions senpai!" Yukari complained, wriggling her body to escape Mitsuru's firm hold. "You expect too much from a girl who's barely learned any French!"

The auburn-haired heiress leaned down and sweetly kissed her pinned down lover. "I apologize," she told Yukari after pulling away. "I was just taken aback when you started talking in French. It sounded… sexy." She found herself being pulled down for another kiss as her hands began to fumble at Yukari's sleeveless button-downed top. Her hands had just made contact with the smooth and taut flesh of Yukari's stomach when they heard someone knocking on the door.

"Excuse me, Mitsuru-sama," a maid called from the other side of the door. "Your friends have already gathered at the dining hall including Sagara-sama. Manners dictate that we should not serve dinner if the hostess is not around."

Mitsuru's head drooped as she let out a loud sigh. "I will be downstairs promptly," she replied, easing herself off Yukari and buttoning down the recently undone top.

"Shall I inform Takeba-sama?"

"She probably isn't in her room," Mitsuru replied, tweaking her lover's nose and getting off the bed. "I will contact her via cellphone instead."

"Will that be all, Mitsuru-sama?" the main inquired.

"Yes…" the redhead replied as she helped Yukari to her feet. When the maid's footsteps could no longer be heard, Mitsuru fixed her appearance as she talked to the hazel-haired girl before her."That was close, but it looks like we'll have to go to the dining hall separately."

Yukari sighed and lightly kissed the taller woman. "It's for the best then. If we are seen together by our friends, they'd make a big fuss," she replied. "It would be the same for the maids too if they found out that I was in your room." She took a look at herself at the large full length mirror in Mitsuru's room before making her way to the door. "I'll go first," Yukari volunteered then slipped out into the hallway.

Mitsuru waited a good five minutes before deciding to head down to the dining hall. She was just about to go out of her room when her intercom began to beep, telling her that someone was trying to contact her. Making her way to her nightstand, the heiress hastily pressed the answer button. "I'm on my way down."

"_You should be since Yukari's already down here,"_ Skye's voice drawled from the intercom speakers. _"Don't worry,"_ she assured her student, the dryness in her voice remaining. _"I'm alone in the lounge beside the dining area so no one could hear what I'm saying." _

"You almost gave me a heart attack, Skye-san!" Mitsuru complained.

The professor laughed. _"Sorry, but I just needed to check if you were really coming down for dinner. So did you enjoy the short alone time you had with Yukari?"_

"A little bit. The lack of time didn't really give us much to work with," Mitsuru admitted ruefully.

"Oh well. There will be other opportunities for the two of you take," Skye reminded her most brilliant student. "For now, come down here already! The maids won't serve the food unless you're down here with us!"

"Yes, yes…" she replied, hanging up on her professor and stalked out of the room. A content smile was evident on her face as she used her fingers to trace her still warm lips.

__

* * *

_**It took me a while to update again. Unfortunately, I'm going to be really busy in the next few weeks so I'm not so sure if I'll be able to keep up the work. Anyhow, I'd like to thank Li Senkei for volunteering to be my French guru. I decided that online translators lack accuracy so I took up the offer when I was presented with it. For the benefit of the non-French speaking readers, these are the translations of the French sentences used in this chapter:**_

"_**Je te desire." – I want you**_

"_**Vraiment? Tu apprends vite," – Is that so (Really)? You are learning fast.**_

_**Next chapter: Fun at the beach and a sudden unwanted meeting**_


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